The Big Bang
by Ignatuis Argetlam
Summary: Hey you! Aimlessly scrolling through the Fairy Tail feed. Why not give this one a try? Everyone is perplexed when a brand new wizard awakens with no memory of how he got there. New powers, new allies, and new enemies plan to make his trip home alot harder! Title meaning now revealed. Rated T for swearing and anime boobs. Written by me and AxelThePyromaniac
1. Introduction Pt 1

**A fun little story that popped into mind when I was watching a very random AMV (Move Your Body-Eiffel 65 by Wingsofthedead) it's a great video, watch it! At its simplest, this story is a rough AU of Fairy Tail with ideas from Girls Bravo.**

"Ow." Mason Marcotte sputtered out a string of curses as he hauled himself onto one knee. Pain seemed to emanate from every fiber of his being. His vision was red and blotchy with everything unfocused. He picked a point in the haze and focused on it, helping his vision slowly clear.

Marble. The ground was white marble, engraved with etchings and brick patterns. There was also a bridge. He allowed his radius of alertness to increase; he was on a marble bridge over top of a calm river.

His body felt different. Itchy. He was in... Unfamiliar clothes. Mason looked down and found himself in the strangest clothes you would ever think of. A moss green tunic covered his chest; and basic black breeches adorned his legs. This kind of clothing, if anything, was out of date. It's the kind of stuff you find on role-playing and medieval games, not yourself.

He shuffled his clothing around, trying to make it feel comfortable, and a strange clinking noise met his ears. It came from somewhere around his chin. He looked down, way down, probably making himself look like a fool, and found five gold chain loops connecting a crimson material around his neck. His hand reached back and pulled a hood over his face. _So it is a cloak._

_Alright, I have recovered and found my immediate surroundings. Next step, how did I get here? I don't even remember_. Mason pondered silently. It defied logic really, waking up in the middle of nowhere wearing clothes that were at least 7 centuries out of date. _Wait a minute, where was here?_

He was in a beautiful city when he raised his chin to its full length. Marble sidewalks adorned the entire city square. Rivers that sparkled in the broad sunlight cut through the sidewalks, gondola's guided young couples along a beautiful date. He could only compare the city to Venice, Italy. Lush, blooming flowers decorated hedges and potted plants. With the help of large maple trees, they added a natural, sweet-smelling aura to the city. Mothers played with little girls in the green grass of the park. Singing birds he couldn't recognize topped it all off, adding a pristine chorus to the beautiful scene. Mason couldn't help himself; he dug his hands in his pockets and sat there, staring in awe.

"Excuse me!" Someone called out sharply to his left.

"Huh?" He turned slightly. An irritated women guided a fruit cart along the bridge. She was probably irritated because he had to get out of the way, there wasn't enough room.

"Sorry!" He blurted out, jogging off the bridge and onto the square, marble island the river created. The lady huffed and pushed past him.

"Damn boys, think they can do anything they want just because..." He perked his ears, interested to know why she hated boys so much, but she was out of earshot.

Thinking it probably wasn't the best idea to stay in the way of everyone, he entertained himself with the view from a near bench.

Continuing to try and determine his surroundings, he gave them a second look. What country was he in? The people looked... strange. A woman passed by, jogging in the morning. His heart skipped a beat and he frantically picked her out of the crowd and followed her with his eyes. Her hair was _pink_.

He looked the other way to find two school girls argue over some sort of ball. Small, red anger marks appeared on their foreheads. One of them snatched it and ran away, the other bent over and a large teardrop appeared on her forehead. His eyes widened in realization.

_This is anime._

He just about cried right there.

_THIS IS AWESOME! This is a second chance at life! One moment I am an anime-watching nightcore enthusiast, now I'm actually in it! This time in mother fucking ANIME!_

He suddenly realized, he could change things.

_I shouldn't change my personality. No, that would be too hard to cover. But what about me? My body? Was that anime like everything else?!_

_Mirror, mirror. I need a mirror._ He frantically looked back and forth before his eyes fell on the water. He got on his hands and knees and looked at himself, but it wasn't the Mason he knew.

The strangest thing about being animated has to be your skin. It is one olive tone with no freckles, acne, or discolorations. It is flawless. The new Mason's nose had more of a point to it now, but it fit in perfectly with the new look. His usually short, brown hair grew a lot. It now tickled his jawline; it was also flawless as well as shiny, separating into dangling spikes.

"Excuse me?" A soft, nervous voice asked. He shot up and looked at her, blushing. The owner of the voice was a very pretty girl that looked about a year older than him. She trembled in what looked like nervousness.

"Err, can I help you?"He began, nervous in the presence of an attractive girl.

"Will you go out with me!?" She closed her eyes and yelled, as if she was intimidated by him.

"Pardon me?" He just about laughed at her request. This had to be some kind of joke, why was she asking him? She could get a way better guy!

"I know I'm flat but I promise I'm really nice and would make a good spouse!" He couldn't help but glance down when she said that. Trust him, she was definitely _not_ flat

"I-I don't understand." He spurted out. This was so strange. He didn't even know this girl and she wanted to marry him!

"Don't hog him!" A girl with flaming red hair pushed her out of the way and took of a nice face. "Hi! I'm-"

"You just want him to yourself!" A blonde pushed both of them out of the way and popped up in the middle. Mason started backing up, feeling confused and overwhelmed. "They are just trying to take advantage of you! I'm-"

"Leaving!" He interrupted and ran off. He needed to sit down and focus. Mason didn't want to start talking to people yet; he still didn't fully understand where he was. He didn't understand why the girls were so desperate to get his attention or why the one was "hogging" him, but there were plenty of boys in the world! Bug someone else!

He looked behind him; he figured he had outrun them. He closed his eyes and sighed in relief, but he should have stopped running first. He hit something soft.

He hesitantly opened his eyes, seeing a very up close view of two large breasts and a lime green bra.

"AHH!" He jumped back in surprise. "I'm so sorry!"

"Oh please." The women who owned them smirked and gestured towards her chest. "If you didn't get a good enough look the first time you're welcome to try again."

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE!?" He demanded and ran the other way. If he could just sit down and figure all this out, then he could start on the people here. He had just heard the sounds of enough feet for a stampede when he reached the end of his small alley.

"There he is!" one of the what had to be hundreds of girls stated. They were all there in a huge mob. "Get him!"

"_Help me._" Mason begged meekly. He crouched down and covered his head, waiting for a million hands attacking him at once, but they never came.

"You gotta watch them girls; they'll gang up on you." A voice chided calmly, followed by a small snort. It spoke in a low, dominant voice that sounded commanding and experienced, even if he was saying the most ridiculous thing. Mason hesitantly got up from his crouched position to see a boy around his age smirking, his head bent forward slightly and his eyes closed. The boy looked up and opened his eyes, they twinkled in different colors.

One was a brilliant blue, while the other was a dazzling green. The combination looked strange, if they so much as landed upon you they looked as if he was studying you intensely. They always seemed to be jumping around, even when they were still. It was an eerie combination.

_Wait, the girls!?_

Mason whirled around to see the entrance of the alley blocked off. The obstruction was a large black spade, the kind you see on cards, with a blue, twirling, and intricate circle over the top of it. He could see the women beat against it, but it was seemingly impenetrable.

"What's your name?" The other boy inquired, playing with his cuffs. He wore a white overcoat that stopped at his waist, but only connected at his neck with a small brooch. The cuff links were a strange red symbol; he could make out two legs, held up as if mid-jump, but the rest was lost to Mason.

"Mason. Mason Marcotte." Mason introduced before widening his eyes.

_Shit, shit shit! I could have given myself an awesome new name but I screwed it up!_

"Mason, what a peculiar name." He pondered.

_Way to go. You could have been badass but now you're just "Peculiar"._

"Dante." He offered a hand, brushing long, indigo bangs out of his eyes. "Dante Atene, A-teen." he stressed the syllables.

"It seems they left." Dante lazily looked past him to see his barrier unattended. Mason watched as the boy pulled out a dark blue pack of cards and opened up the lid. The large club shrunk into two cards, they aligned themselves together neatly and flew into his pack.

"What was that?" Mason demanded, indicating the phenomena in his hand. Dante returned the bewildered look, but not in a mocking sense.

"Magic, how didn't you recognize it?" Dante asked as he furrowed his eyebrows. Mason sighed, he knew at some point he would have to learn about all of the strange things of this new world.

"Entertain me. Pretend I was just born and know absolutely nothing about where I am. What is this world? What is magic?" Mason asked, trying to sound as normal as he could. Dante furrowed his eyebrows more and frowned, but answered.

"I would say you're in the country of Fiore. Magic has been around for as long as anyone can remember. People who use it are called Mages. It is the physical embodiment of the spirit. When the physical spirit of a person connects with the spiritual flow of nature, it forms magic as a product. There's probably thousands of different kinds of magic, everyone's is little unique. I use Card Magic and use my deck to channel my magic, did I lose you?" Dante explained quite well, cutting himself off with a small joke. He never would have thought this was all new to Mason.

"Dante, I know you're not going to believe this, but I woke up with no memory just now." Mason confessed. He lied a bit on purpose, if he tried to tell him he was from Earth, Dante would laugh at him. He didn't know who else to tell. He had already seemed nice enough to Mason.

"Strange." Dante raised an eyebrow, a weird-looking expression with his unique eyes. "Memory loss is a rare thing in Fiore, but not unheard of. Would you allow me to bring you to be studied?" Mason looked at him with confusion, which only made Dante laugh; a deep, throaty noise.

"It will be from a doctor in my guild. They would want to analyze it; they probably have never seen this before." Mason looked at him once more with confusion. Dante thought for a second before realizing his mistake.

"Ahh, yes. A guild is an organization of Magic-users. They are scholars, doctors, diplomats, warriors, even some farmers. There are hundreds of them spread across Fiore." Dante turned and walked away halfway through his speech. Mason assumed he wanted him to follow, so he hurried behind.

"So what guild do you belong to?" Mason inquired.

"The greatest guild of all." He stopped, raising his left arm in the air and pulling up his sleeves so he revealed his arm. There was a blue tattoo on his forearm, the same as his cuff links. "Fairy Tail."

**Acknowledgements**

**Co-writer: AxelThePyromaniac**

**Beta: VengefulBiscuit**

**OC submitters: VengefulBiscuit, XDreamKillerX, EpicEric17**


	2. Introduction Pt 2

"I won't be able to do anything if you don't sit still!" A blonde female mage complained. Dante had told him she was a telepathy mage, but it still made him uneasy. She wanted to study his memories, but what if she accidentally looked elsewhere? He was at her mercy, what if she decided she wanted to take a little peek? His deepest, darkest secrets at her fingertips, if she told anyone, what would people think of him?

The mage, whose name was Katherine, tapped the front of his skull, making a small, yellow circle appear. It looked similar to the one Dante had used, but smaller, and yellow. Also, the circle's details seemed so intricate and complicated they had to be unique. He felt her consciousness slowly dip into his mind, the feeling was unnerving. It was like a large worm burrowing into his skull.

"Nngh!" He suppressed a grunt in his throat, but gripped the wooden chair he was sitting on harder.

"Pipe down." Dante shot in, tired of his squirming.

"I'm done anyway." Katherine muttered, retreating from his mind. Mason eased his vice on the chair and let out a huge sigh.

"And?" Dante asked impatiently.

"He knows nothing." She confirmed, followed by a strange look from Mason.

_No shit!_

"I learned a little bit about memory, but I also learned something strange." Kathy, as she preferred, stopped and smirked, torturing them intentionally.

"What!?" Dante and Mason demanded at the same time.

"You're a Mage!" Kathy exclaimed, grabbing a stamp-looking thing. She tried to stamp it down on Mason, but he didn't know what was happening and knocked it out of her hand, knocking over his own chair in the process. The stamp flew in the air before falling on Mason's left eye, shining momentarily before dimming.

"What did you do!?" Mason demanded, ripping the strange device off his eye.

"Yeah, I'm curious to know what happened." Dante held Mason's chin as he bent down, making him face towards him. The stamp had stamped his face, but there was no visible tattoo.

"Strange..." The female , muttered. "I'll try again." She bent down with the stamp in hand to try again.

"No!" Mason interrupted, throwing out his hand. Several things happened at once. A moss-green circle appeared at his fingertips, a green symbol materialized in the air an inch in front of his left eye, and the stamp flew against the back wall.

"That's a strange case." Dante pondered, talking about his eye. He bent down and helped him up. "But; admittedly badass." He added with a wink.

"This is all happening so fast." Mason looked at his own fingers in disbelief. "What kind of magic do I use then? What was that?"

"You'd probably be air!" Katherine chimed in from her ducked position she had taken when the stamp flew.

"Air Mage, eh? I like the sound of that." Mason nodded, as if approving of his fingers.

"So I'm part of the guild now?" Mason asked with anticipation. Dante smiled and wrapped his arm around his shoulders. Although a simple action, it made Mason unbelievably happy. It was a silent display of acceptance, while he valued greatly.

"One question. Why does there seem to be so many girls here?" Mason interrupted him before he could do anything. Everyone he had seen at the park was a girl, all of the people that chased him were girls; heck Dante was the first boy he met!

"That must have been pretty confusing to you. In Fiore, Males only make up a fifth of the population." Dante explained, making Mason's jaw drop.

"That explains a couple things." Mason caught himself and raised his jaw.

"What things?" Dante inquired, raising an eyebrow.

_God, he loves to use his eyebrows._

"A little after I woke up, a girl walked up to me and asked me out, and then she tried to convince me she would be a good spouse." Mason chuckled. Even when he said it the situation sounded strange.

"Strange, but not exactly rare." Dante answered, beginning to lead him out of the room. "She probably was afraid that if she tried to get to know you, it would take too long and you would be scooped up. And don't mind the mobs, they disappear after a few weeks, they are just excited over a new face."

"A FEW WEEKS!?" He exclaimed.

"Alright, past this door is-"

"DANTE!" Dante gulped, looked truly scared. A girl blew open the doors, pink hair flailing.

"What do you think you're doing!?" She demanded. Her hazel eyes blazed at him, although she didn't seem like the mean type.

"I-"He got out before she cut him off.

"You_ know _I'm the tour guide and show all the new members around!" She shook her head at him, the long pieces of pink hair that weren't tied with a ribbon shook.

"Is she really the tour guide?" Mason leaned towards Dante and asked.

"More of a self-appointed position, but don't tell her that." Dante advised.

"I CAN HEAR YOU!" The girl stuck her neck out and exclaimed. Dante released his hold on the boy and she grabbed Mason by the elbow and pulled him into the hall. Her expression suddenly changed to bubbly and friendly, as if she was a whole new person.

_I guess she is just protective of her unofficial position_. Mason retorted.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail!" She squealed, interrupting his thoughts. "I'm Maryanna Lux!" She offered a small hand and Mason took it eagerly, being sure to remember the name. She continued to walk him to seemingly nowhere in particular.

"Well I'm Mason Marcotte aaand..." Mason looked at all the passing doors while he said the word, stretching it so the motion would fit. "Where are we going?"

She laughed as if it was a stupid question.

"To meet everyone, of course!" She smiled and returned to her old course. She was in what seemed to be an ivory-colored school outfit. A blazer-type jacket and a frilly skirt, topped off with a plaid bow just below her cleavage. For how old she was, she was average; If Mason had to guess a B or C.

They approached a massive set of oaken doors which she eagerly kicked open, revealing a huge main hall. Inside it was the strangest bunch of people Mason had ever seen.

One guy had a buzz cut, a gold chain, and a black shirt with a large silver S on it. He was talking with a guy who looked like his hair was reaching out to grab someone as he smoked heavily on his pipe, which emitted purple smoke. One girl who was practically in a bra was drinking straight out of a huge, wooden barrel. There was one man who wore a witch's hat and his body shape was that of a perfect sphere about the size of a minivan. Another guy wore a strange black suit and stood there, doing what looked like interpretive dance. There were too many to count, guys who stole Goku's hairdo and dyed it white, people with bull cut's that should never see the light of day, one guy even had skull's dangling from his belt.

"Are you sure we are in the guild? It looks like the town Loonie Bin." Mason muttered.

"Of course! I'll introduce you to everyone! That's Cana, and no she can't really get drunk. The big one talking about manliness is Elfman, she's Lisanna, the pretty one serving drinks is Mirajane..." She kept going on and on and on and ON! He couldn't take it!

"-The flying cat is Happy-"

"How can you tell," Mason snorted. "It's a cat; they aren't exactly masters of emotion."

"I heard that!" It screamed back at him, tacking Mason aback.

"I'm glad for your help Maryanna, but I think it's a little fast. Can I just meet everyone?" Mason asked hesitantly, not wanting to hurt her feelings.

"Of course!" She grabbed his wrist again and led him to a table.

"I meant alone." He muttered under his breath, not loud enough for her to hear.

"This is Gray Full- Gray! Put your clothes back on!" She cut herself off. The black hared boy looked down, and was actually surprised to find himself completely nude.

"You there." He pointed at Mason. "Can I borrow-?"

"Not a chance." He cut him off, knowing where Gray was going.

"Stop scamming clothes off the newbie's!" A pink hair boy approached and smirked, earning a punch in the stomach from Gray. It sent him tumbling over several chairs and a table full of drinks.

"Why are there so many guys here? Wasn't there only like a handful of them." Mason inquired suddenly.

"Nobody knows. Boy's just seem to have more magic in their blood than girls." A kind voice answered for him. He turned and found a blonde girl with rather **huge** breasts smiling at him. He could still hear the two boys in the background.

"You're an onion-eyed clot-sucker!"

"Shut up you hedge-born cod-piece!"

"Spur-gallied varlot!"

"Clapper- clawed bugbear!" The pink-haired boy ran up and pressed his forehead against Gray's, they began a pushing war with every insult.

"Spleeny ratsbane!"

"Errant dewberry!"

"Maggot-pie!"

"Nut-hook!"

"Apple-john!"

"Bum-bailey!

"Mammot!"

"Jolthead!"

"Harpy!"

"Haggard!"

"Strumpet!"

"Hugger-mugger!" Gray screamed, louder than the rest. Everyone heard it and was dead silent. Pink-hair stood there, awestruck. His eyes began to water and he sobbed.

"Dude, that's hurtful." He sobbed and slowly walked away.

"Uncalled for!" Someone called out from the crowd.

"That's just mean!" The crowd began to turn on Gray.

"They got tired of their old insults." The blonde put her head in her hands and sighed. "So they picked up an Old English novel. They don't even know what they're calling each other." Dante slid in beside her and whispered seductively in her ear,

"Lucy, now that those two are gone you can finally let loose all of the love you've been holding back for me!" he exclaimed.

"Push off!" Lucy explained, keeping him at a distance with her palm.

"Erza-!" He jumped in the air at another person, who reared back and socked him in the face with a gauntlet. He fell down to the ground, stars around his head and knuckle imprints in his forehead.

"Congratulations, I've known you ten seconds and you haven't done something strange." Mason smiled and sat down beside her. Dante previously held the title of "Only Sane Person", but now he was out of the running.

"I guess we are the only sane people in this entire guild." She smiled at him and lifted her head out of her hands.

_This guy is one of us, but where is his tattoo?_ Lucy pondered. She studied his face, visible parts of his body, nothing. He tilted his head slightly, and the chandelier light caught on his eye. Barely visible, you could see a tiny green tattoo reflected in it, as if it was in front of his eye and was reflected in the light. But there was nothing in front of his eye, it was_ inside_ his eye.

"Hello?" Mason brought her out of her studying. She blushed slightly and apologized.

"I'm Lucy Heartfilia." She offered a hand, just like everyone else he met.

"Mason Marcotte." He repeated and took her hand. Maryanna still sat there, idly playing with her white hair ribbons.

"Lucy!" the voice of someone who sounded like she could very well be queen of the world shot in. "Why aren't you introducing me to your new friend?"

"Sorry Erza." Lucy's face dropped and she looked scared for her life. "Mason, this is Erza Scarlet." She placed a hand in front of her mouth and scooted her chair over to Mason, whispering,

"Run now while you have a chance."

Mason stuck his neck behind him in surprise, raising an eyebrow at her. He didn't know how he could tell, but these four seemed like the center of the room, the epicentre of attention and focus. The entire building practically revolved around the four. He caught people giving the table occasional glances, waiting for them to do something amazing. He didn't want attention, he wanted simple. He didn't want every eye on him, waiting for him to slip up.

He ran his eyes over Erza. She seemed demanding, and mean. She did have huge tits and really cool armor, but he could tell she would be some kind of weird dominatrix.

"C'mon Maryanna; let's meet more people!" Mason grabbed her wrist this time and led her along. He didn't know Erza yet and he wanted to keep it that way.

"Yay! New people!" Maryanna joked lightly, understanding his ruse. After passing by enough freaks to make any circus jealous, he stopped suddenly.

There was a lonely-looking girl at a table all to herself. She seemed somewhere between sad and vacant, it was hard to read her face. He instantly felt obligated to cheer her up, plus she was one of the few non-freaks here.

He approached her table and sat down beside her and Maryanna with a smile.

"A new face." The girl sneered, but not cruelly. "Run away from this loonie-bin while you can."

"Everyone's a new face to me. And yes, it is indeed a strange place." Mason chuckled. The girl sat there, twirling her two white braids, as if waiting for something. Suddenly, a person Mason remembered as Mirajane brought her some food.

"Finally!" She snatched it out of the tray as she put it down and eagerly tore into it. Mason stared in awe as she chomped down on a ham bone the size of a man's thigh. She stopped eating momentarily and looked at him, surprisingly with red eyes.

"Can I help you?" she asked, her mouth filled with food.

"I'm new here, which you obviously know, I'm Mason." He introduced himself with a smile this time, not a monotone. "Mason Marcotte."

"I'm-"

"She's Synnova!" Maryanna answered for her.

"You know that's a real useful thing you do? Cut off people in case they don't remember their own names." Synnova said, laced with sarcasm. Mason chuckled, but Maryanna didn't get it. She sat there thinking for a moment before answering,

"I never thought of it that way, but it is useful! Thanks Synnova!" Maryanna said. She didn't seem ditsy to Mason, her friendliness and eagerness must have blinded her this time. Synnova rolled her eyes and continued to tear into that dinosaur-sized bone. For a moment all you could hear was Synnova's chomping and Dante's antics. ("Are you a parking ticket? You've got fine written all over you. _Slap!)_

_Why is my table suddenly the party table? Why are these people trying to talk to me?_ The small shred of Synnova's mind that wasn't currently engrossed in food demanded.

Dante slumped down in a wooden chair at their table. His cheeks and face were covered in bruises and slap-marks.

"I don't think the female population appreciates my abilities." He retorted, rubbing his sore face.

"You don't say!?"Mason exclaimed, tilting his head sideways slightly.

Dante thought for a moment, but realized the sarcasm and grumbled, "Shut up."

"Gray! Ice me!" He turned and called out. Gray pointed at him and a circle materialized in front of his face, spinning slowly. Out of nowhere, both of his cheeks froze solid, literally. The sides of his head were now large chunks of ice. "I mend n ice pag, but dis worgs." He muttered, which was quite an achievement considering he could barely move his mouth. He tried to say, "I meant an ice pack, but this works".

"Excuse me." Synnova said with no sincerity, grabbing her food tray and leaving.

"Was it something I said?' Mason asked Maryanna, feeling guilty.

"Oh no," She happily clicked away on her phone. "Everyone is usually too afraid to talk to her. You're probably her first company all week." Mason frowned, he didn't know what day of the week it was, but it didn't matter. Nobody should go through that in a guild full of people.

"So what do you do in the guild? Sit around and drink?" Mason asked with a smirk, hoping for a yes. Dante answered, although he was still trying to get the ice off his face.

"No, you take jobs for money-WAM!" His cheek hit the table hard in an attempt to break it. "Check out the board."

_Money!_ Mason thought suddenly. He flung open his wallet, surprised to still find it on him, and a single moth flew out of the empty space.

"Some money would be nice." Mason nodded.

_Food every day, I'll need more than one set of clothes, rent- wait; rent? I need a place to live!_

"Dante!" Mason called out.

"Huh?" Dante rubbed his numb cheek, finally getting the ice off.

"Where are you living?" Mason had every intent on staying with a guy. So far, Dante was the most normal one he could find. The next in line were pink-hair and nudist boy... so Dante sounded pretty good to him.

"Renting a little house down on Baker, why?" Mason hopped out of his chair and on to his knees at Dante's feet.

"PLEASE let me split rent with you! I don't want to live with nudists or girls and especially not flying cats!"

"Err, no problem. It's a two bedroom anyway." Dante stuck his foot out away from his body, which Mason was currently clinging on to. He smartly reappeared in his chair and dusted himself off.

"Ahem, thank you Dante." He dusted the rest of himself off. "Consider my current funds are zero, I had better find a job." Mason walked over to the crowded board that held all of the jobs.

"Defeating a hydra... not likely. Helping with the pineapple harvest, I'm not much of a fruit farmer. Recovering a magical sea turtle... what?" The jobs were more random than Mason could have made them himself. How was he supposed to do one of these? And what was a Jewel?

"A jewel is the currency we use here." Mason turned to see Maryanna walk up to him with a smile. "Everyone knows about your memory situation, they'd be more than happy to help you if you need anything."

"What?" Mason was taken aback. "Who told them? I didn't want everyone to know!" The last thing he wanted to do was to be singled out from the entire guild. Why did he keep drifting towards the spotlight!?

"Sorry..." Maryanna looked down in guilt and held up her phone. "I didn't know."

"If I take one of these on, will you tag along?" Mason inquired, saving her from her guilt and pretending not to hear it. "I'm not very capable and we could split the reward."

"EEEEEEEEK!" Mason cowered and covered his ears. "We should totally start a team!"

"A te-?"

"When a bunch of friends team up and take up missions together!" She answered; the second she was done she took off into the crowd.

"That was weird. Where was I? Oh yeah, magical turtles." Mason muttered, turning to face the board again.

"I'm back!" Mason jumped in the air when Maryanna approached him again.

"How'd you do that!?" He demanded, still clutching the pole he had jumped onto.

"I brought Dante! We are gonna take on a mission!" She said, literally shaking with excitement.

"I'm just going to put it out there that blackmail is a major portion of my involvement." Dante said with a sigh, studying his fingernails. Maryanna smirked evilly at him, she knew everything on everyone.

"You really think we can do this? I can't really do magic on will, Dante is a normal mage; what do you do Maryanna?" Mason said, trying to slow down her crazy train of thought.

"RIBBON MAGIC!" She announced, reaching for her hair. The moment everyone heard that they ducked for cover. Table, chairs, one mage even hoped in a garbage can. Maryanna pulled the white ribbon from her hair, slowly lengthening it. She held it in her hand and it still grew until it was about 4 meters in length and nearly a foot wide.

Mason looked around; he was standing in an empty room, everyone but him and Maryanna had taken cover.

"I'm starting to think-"

"RIBBON WHIP!"

"Wait, what?" Maryanna threw her ribbon behind her head like a whip and cracked it, landing the perfect blow between Mason's eyes. She followed-through, her ribbon wrapping around her right ankle. The momentum easily threw it behind her and sent her face-first into the wood floor.

"Although I'm still learning..." she grumbled, her tied foot still sticking out. Mason rubbed his sore forehead. That ribbon was definitely not made of silk. Steel maybe, or titanium. Whatever it was, it felt like a sledgehammer to the face.

"Speaking of learning..." Mason stared at his hands for the second time that day. "I need a teacher of some sort. What did you say I could do Dante?" Dante shot out of his snooze he was trying to take on a bench at the sound of his name.

"Telekinesis Magic or Air Magic. Or even Gravity. Hard to tell, you just threw a stamp. "Dante mumbled before lying down on the bench again.

"Don't worry; I'm sure you'll do great!" Maryanna insisted with a smile.

"Thanks for the optimism, but I think I'm going to need at least a little bit of training before we go on that mission." Mason smiled back at her.


	3. Introduction Pt 3

"This isn't exactly what I meant by training!" Mason exclaimed into the stands. He was standing in the floor of the coliseum-shaped arena that the guild boasted.

"Do you want to get stronger?" Synnova asked; only half paying attention. She sat there in the stands filing her nails, green thigh highs and black combat boots up on the railing. She seemed completely oblivious to the random wizards around her. Out of all the people in the crowd, Mason only knew a handful, and those were ones he was introduced to yesterday.

"Yes, but not like this!" Mason shivered, half from fear, half from the cold. Synnova talked him into changing into a tight red shirt and shorts, claiming he would need to move around easily. If he would have thought about it, he would have realized she chose it for its tight fit on his body, not for his sake.

Only about twenty minutes ago, Synnova had overheard his plea of strength and taken him up on it. Now he stood in a coliseum, facing a door that emitted loud, scary noises.

"Dante! Are you placing bets?" Synnova picked him out of the stands. surrounded by a small mob of female mages. He used a light pen and had written enough bets in the air for an entire novel.

"What? No! I'm hurt that you would think-"He began, placing a hand over his heart and acting hurt.

"Dante! 10,000 on broken arm!" Someone interrupted, breaking the ruse.

"I'll take that!"

"The new kid doesn't stand a chance!"

"20,000 on hospitalization!"

"Would you guys shut up?" He hissed at them, making them quite down.

The door banged once again, its hinges rattled with scary weakness.

"Ignore them May-May. It's what I do." Synnova sat there, still inspecting her nails. Dante and the rest of the mages erupted in a fit of laughter at her new chosen nickname for him.

The climatic _"BOOM"_ came soon after, easily tearing the wooden door off its hinges and sending it across the Arena. Two large horns protruded from the darkness, followed by a full-grown, muscular, and not to mention angry, bull.

"Why do you people keep a bull around!?" Mason demanded, shaking now completely out of fear. Sweat glistened all over his body, making even standing up difficult; for he wore no shoes on the hard-packed ground. His fingers shook uncontrollable, as if he was tapping a tune in the air. His mind raced with a million possibilities, trying to find a feasible way to control the bull.

"Remind me how this is magic training?" Mason asked suddenly, realizing it would be his last chance to ask anything. Before the bull could spot him, he did a mighty leap and grabbed the lowest rail from the stands. He hung from it, just out of the bulls reach. Synnova sighed and put down her file, looking at him for the first time.

"May-May...Magic isn't a set of rules, not a handful of commandments set in place by a bunch of old crones. Magic is a direct embodiment of your spirit. Your magic is unique, it's specific to you. You won't learn anything from a textbook; you need to learn from yourself." She finished and sat back down while the bull finally saw Mason. Without warning, he charged.

"That's a great speech, but that doesn't explain why I'm here with a _BULL_!" With the last word, he hauled himself up about a foot, just about the bull's horns.

"Mere incentive. Now," She made a "shoo" motion with both her hands. "Do magic."

He looked down at the bull. He was aware of his surroundings to the perfect detail. He saw the small clouds of dust at the bull's feet; he heard the sickening scrape of him attempting to bull his horns out of the wall, the slow grinding of Synnova's nails, and especially the rude calls from the rowdy group of mages.

Every comment had easily rolled off of his back except one.

"The new kid doesn't stand a chance!"

He didn't care how intimidating or amazing they made the bull sounded, but when they started doubting his abilities _then_ they had a problem. He had it imprinted into his brain perfectly. The confident sneer, that approving snorts that had followed, they didn't believe in him. He didn't believe in himself...

No, he couldn't let them get to him.

He made it this far, he wasn't going to let some cocky mages and a fat cow stop him now.

"My magic..." he muttered, slowly loosening his hold on the railing.

"_My _magic." He repeated with emphasis, as well as a hint of realization. He felt his feet land solidly on each of the bull's horns. He kicked off the bull's horns and landed solidly, walking over to the middle of the Arena.

"It's time to find my magic!" He exclaimed as the bull finally freed his horns from the wall.

Exhilaration ran through Mason's veins, readying the muscles it found. A strange lightness overcame him; he seemed to be filled with energy. His core thrummed with excitement, sending blood to all his extremities. His fingers curled and flexed, readying themselves. His lungs felt no strain as his breathing quickened, adding to his animation.

He was so elated, he charged the bull.

"Here we go!" Was his simple battle cry as those quite pointy horns got closer, and closer, and closer...

Mason jumped in the air directly above the black beast and brought his knees up to his shoulders. He placed both hands on the bull's skull and pushed off, leap-frogging him.

"Yippee!" he declared as he came off the bull. The moment his bare feet hit the ground; he shuffled them around and squatted, facing the clumsy animal. Synnova lowered her file and leaned forward on the railing, slightly interested. There was something different about Mason now. Maybe it was the glowing tattoo in front of his face, maybe it was something she didn't notice, but something was different for sure.

Mason's elevation continued, dictating his mindset and spurring haste in his actions. Even in his haze, he still picked out the strange phenomenon that was his weight. It seemed at least half of what it had been before, his feet moved easily and with seemingly practiced grace.

The bull finally regained its footing and prepared for another charge on the moving red human.

"Moooooo." Mason taunted, tucking four fingers towards him in a "come at me" motion, "_Moooooo._"

The bull charged with surprising new vigor, making his way there in half the time Mason expected. Mason made a small jump backwards, still in the way of the bull but farther back. He turned in the air so that he was about to land on his head. He stuck out his index and middle finger on his right hand out, as if showing "two" and lightly landed on them, slowly cushioning his weight on those two fingers.

When he had fully cushioned his fall, he pushed off in recoil to the left. He landed on his feet and successfully side-jumped the charge; but the bull learned easily and turned sharply, lashing out with his horns.

The bull looked around furiously. The human was just here! Where was he!?

Knock, knock. The bull looked down to see a hand grab his large nose ring and tap it twice, as if using a door knocker.

"Down here bull!" The hand retreated and Mason sat there underneath the bull, waving. He placed one hand on each of the bull's front legs and, with surprisingly strength, shot himself out from underneath the bull and across the Arena. He was going so fast, he did a simple reverse-soccer dive and was back on his feet.

"Tauro! Tauro!"

Mason exclaimed, jumping up and down and waving his arms. The bull snorted and found his direction again, getting annoyed.

This was getting too easy for Mason. The bull could practically only go in one direction and it was nearly child play to dodge him.

The bull came upon Mason again, picking out the red color of his clothes.

"Tauro!" Mason shouted again, jumping in the air again. This time, he turned his body horizontally and two-foot kicked the bull between the eyes. When his body was flung back, he performed a back flip just for the fun of it.

He then finished the back flip and landed in a crouch, grinning at the bulls temporarily crippled state. The larger mammal looked back and forth, trying to clear the stars that circled his head.

"How fast can I run?" Mason asked himself with a grin, watching the bull regain his senses. He shot off running, the charging bull directly behind him.

Usually he ran with the gracefulness of a cow. (No offense to the trailing bovine) his feet would slap down ungracefully and he would never be able to hit high speeds.

Now, his tiptoes barely felt any weight as they brushed the ground, soon to push off. He burst out laughing as he held back purposefully for the bull to catch up.

Unbeknownst to Mason, the Arena wall loomed ahead of him.

He found himself between a bull and a wall place. He was going too fast to turn; he was going to spin out and crash if he tried anything.

In his unnaturally high spirits, he burst out laughing as he ran headlong into the wall. At the very last step on the ground, he leaned his body waaaaay backwards and put one foot on the wall. He pushed straight up with that, followed by another foot. He ran up the wall five steps and tried for one more, but his momentum was nearly all gone.

In a desperate attempt to save himself, Mason bent both of his knees and pushed off as hard as he could. He held his breath and anticipated it, but it still rattled him when his back slammed against the rock-hard ground.

He got the wind knocked out of him and gasped for air, struggling to rise to one knee. He looked up to see the bull charging headlong at him. It was about ten feet away, he didn't stand a chance. He clenched his eyes and waited for the impact. Funny, he had expected another stamped a short time ago, only with girls. He had been saved by... wait, where was the bull?

He opened his eyes and stared into Dante's white overcoat, again. He couldn't hold back a smile as he struggled to his feet.

"Card Magic!" Dante threw his deck of cards into the air and the cards all filed out magically. They flew around seemingly randomly before they all stopped. Fifty–four cards floated around him in a dome, each one of them surrounded by a deep blue flame.

"Spade Shield!" He called out, reaching out with his right hand. Four cards suddenly flew out of the cacophony and hit the ground in front of Dante. The familiar indigo circle materialized and it called forth an impressive barrier straight from the ground.

Moments after its creation, the bull crashed into the barrier. Two pricks that were the tips of its horns poked through the shield, much to Dante's dismay. He jumped forward and placed both hands on the edge of his side of the circle. The barrier flared with new intensity, spitting out the bull horns and instantly repairing the damage.

"Maryanna!" Dante screamed, walking straight through his shield. The bull caught him in his eye and charged. Without looking, Dante snatched a diamond card out of the air and flicked it in the bull's direction. It vaporized and turned into something Mason didn't see. After emitting a blinding flash of light, it disappeared, leaving the bull lying on its side and moaning.

Mason got up to his feet, sad to find his vigor and exhilaration gone. Dante stood staring at Maryanna, infuriated.

"You were supposed to hold back the bull! The shield was our back-up!" He screamed. Mason walked around him to see Maryanna wiggling around in a large white cocoon.

"I'm sorry, okay!" She craned her head and spotted Mason. "See! He's fine!"

"Hold still." Mason instructed, bending down. He wrapped his arms around her, although they barely touched, and helped the walking toilet paper roll to her feet.

"Now try your best to stay up!" Dante pushed past Mason and grabbed the end piece of the ribbon, pulling it back in a huge jerk.

Maryanna blabbered out something nonsensical as she spun around and around and around... Mason had to stop looking at her or he would be sick. The ribbon finally ran out and Maryanna stumbled around side to side, barely standing up. Mason quickly ran to her rescue and picked her up, bridal style. That may have been a bit out of place, but at least she wouldn't fall.

"You okay?" Mason asked, looking at her eyes. They both went around their sockets on their own accord. They slowly focused and stared at Mason.

"I-"she started, but then made a gross noise. She bent over and was sick all over Mason's shirt and pants. If Mason carrying her in his arms was the slightest bit romantic, it lost it all right then.

"Oh..." He stated slowly. He set her down and looked at his clothes; they were literally soaked with puke, every inch of the fabric. Without thinking he ripped off his shirt, throwing it on the ground. After a moment of gross hesitation, he threw his pants on the ground and sat there in black underwear.

Dante burst out laughing, making him blush heavily. The crowd hadn't completely dispersed yet.

"Gimme that!" He ran up to Dante and ripped off his overcoat, wrapping it around his waist.

"Dude!" Dante looked in disgust at his garment wrapped around the sweaty teen's body.

Slow, deliberate claps broke through the following silence. Synnova walked towards them, her ever-present smirk plastered on her face.

"Not bad. Not bad. I'll admit I didn't expect you to do quite that." She stated, Maryanna stumbled to proper posture and began paying attention.

"May-May, you discovered your magic easily, it came to you naturally." She smiled and studied him. "I bet you didn't even notice."

"I think I know what happened." Mason looked down and wiggled his toes. "Of course, I wouldn't know what to call it."

"If you two didn't notice," She nodded at Dante and Maryanna. "It is quite obvious May-May is a Gravity Mage."

Gravity Mage. Mason liked the sound of that even better. He began to feel immense pride swelling in his chest. He finally had a magic to call his own. He wasn't a new little squirt anymore; he was a fully-fledged mage. He had his own magic; and he had used it in front of everyone. Okay, maybe not _everyone_, but his mind wasn't going to register that any time soon.

"As far as the three of you..." Synnova put her head in her hands. "I beg you; please don't become a team like you planned. Your teamwork is absolutely horrid, you would do more damage than good."

"I think you judged us a tad quickly." Dante frowned slightly and took a place in front of his two friends.

"No. I didn't." She stated flatly, not caring how blunt she was speaking. "You show absolutely no potential as a team whatsoever. You're a danger to everything and everyone around you."

"Well then warn them we're coming!" Maryanna had completely recovered from her sickness and slipped her arms around Mason and Dante's necks. She made sure to let her body touch Mason's. If she was lucky, she could rub it and the brooch would "accidentally" come loose. Not letting her judge them anymore, the three mages kept themselves hooked and walked outside the elevator.

"Why does she act like she's your superior?" Mason inquired some way out of the arena.

"She is; Synnova is an S-class mage. That's one higher rank than any of us. In order to become an S-class, a mage must undergo a difficult trial." Maryanna answered.

"Man, Gravity Magic is so cool!" Dante exclaimed, punching Mason in the shoulder. "Wanna trade?".

"Even I know that's not how it works." Mason snorted and they all laughed. Truly, if Mason could choose, he would have chosen Gravity Magic. He loved that uplifting sensation it sent through his body, how it made him literally light-footed. That's how he could easily perform those crazy moves in the arena.

"Guys!" Maryanna stopped suddenly and pulled out (Giggity) from both the boys. They stared at her eyebrows raised.

"We need a name!" She exclaimed. "The team's name is a major part of its social status! It defines the team's goals, values, strengths, rank-"

"How about, 'Unicorns are Mystical'?" Dante offered seriously.

"It has a nice ring to it." Mason nodded in agreement. He tried to put his hands in his pockets, but then remembered he didn't have any. He set off for the change rooms and the team followed, continuing their walk and their talk.

"You guys can't be serious!" Maryanna exclaimed, flabbergasted.

"All in favor of Unicorns?" Mason suggested; he and Dante both raised their hands. "Any oppose?" Maryanna smartly raised both her hands. Dante smirked with satisfaction.

"Motion passed. From now on, we will be known as Unicorns are Mystical!" Mason stated officially.

"Guys! Seriously, what are we calling ourselves?" Maryanna caught up so she was between the two boys, catching the smirks they shot each other.

"Guys?" She said slowly, scared. "I can't be stuck in the one group where the guys like unicorns! Guys, wait up!"


	4. UAM Pt 1

The glass wobbled around momentarily, before settling back on the table. Mason slammed his bare palm against the wooden structure in frustration.

"Take it easy. It's a new type of gravity you haven't tried yet." Dante held out a hand as he spoke calmly.

"It's so simple though!" Mason booted he table as hard as he could. The rising pain reminded him he didn't have any shoes on. He proceeded to hop around the Main Hall on one foot, holding his sore toes.

"Synnova said it best. It's all about you and your spirit. You could be tired, or just uninspired." Dante crossed his arms and huffed. Behind him Maryanna studied the Job Board for their first mission.

"Guys! I just about forgot!" Maryanna turned to them, setting down her backpack. "I made team T-shirts!" She lifted up a pink shirt.

"First of all, we have been a team for the better part of an hour, how did you make T-shirts? Second of all, no." Dante stated firmly.

"Gimme that!" Mason ran by and swiped the shirt out of her hands, throwing it on. His tunic had been lost in the changing room; the wooden building didn't have much for heating. "I'm freezing."

"Your cold!?" Cana screamed at him from the next table over, indicating the bra that was her only upper clothing.

Dante burst out laughing and pointed at him. The light-pink shirt was much too small.

"Is that your little sister's shirt?" Dante wiped a tear and continued laughing.

"Shut up! It's not my fault there's no heaters, err, that it's cold!" Mason corrected himself quickly, thankfully catching his mistake.

"You judged the shirt too quickly." Maryanna stated with a smile. She approached Mason and held out her finger, giving him a look. He raised an eyebrow at him, but pulled his arms away and let her do her worst.

She pressed in the center of the shirt, right in the middle of his ribcage. The shirt slowly turned crimson. A black unicorn logo materialized in the center. It was sleek ebony, with a flaming mane and horn, as well as skeletal wings.

"You can change it to whatever you want! Of course, it wills always say-"she turned Mason around, revealing the three large letters on the back. "U. A. M."

"Maryanna, this is officially badass." Dante smiled, sorting through her backpack for one his size.

"Find me a medium." Mason ordered, Dante quickly threw one towards him and he caught it. Surprisingly, the shirt lengthened into a normal tunic. Mason changed it to his usual moss-green and felt alot more comfortable.

"Guys, I've got a mission for us." Dante stated from the board, he waved them over and they all piled around.

"There's a small time criminal that has been affecting women in this town. When we get there we will be informed by a man that goes by Randal." Maryanna read.

"Isn't that a little vague?" Mason frowned, he didn't want to get there and find out it was a scam.

"But look at the reward! 600,000 Jewels!" Dante exclaimed, reaching over and high-fiving Mason. They stood beside each other, facing the same way, and performed a dance that brought to mind the Happy Hippos of Fantasia.

"Take it right now Maryann! Before somebody snatches it up!" Mason called from the dance floor.

"I don't know guys..." Maryanna leaned in and continued to study it while the boys worked on their ballet toe-pointing.

"C'mon!" Dante and Mason grabbed her by the shoulders and dragged her out of the guild towards the train station.

000

"This is how people always travel?" Mason leaned against the window and watched the train station pass by.

"Yup. There are these little Magic-mobiles, or whatever you call them, but they are expensive and only mages can use them." Dante answered from his place beside him.

Maryanna took advantage of the full seat the boys had given her by taking a nap.

"Wanna play blackjack?" Dante grinned evilly, pulling out his magic pack of cards.

"Sure!" Mason exclaimed, although he would need to be taught how.

Mason caught on quickly. Considering Dante's overall skill at cards, he was a pretty good teacher and it was an easy game to catch on to. Maryanna continued to snore as they placed imaginary bets, they didn't want to waste actual Jewels. The each started out with 1000.

Mason looked down at his cards, an Ace and a two.

"Hit me." He stated.

"Here." Dante pulled the top cards out of the deck. He discreetly pressed its backside, forming a small indigo circle on it. He shot the two of diamonds at Mason's forehead; it exploded in a flash of light.

"Ow! That hurt!" Mason tried to blink the spots out of his eyes as Dante burst out laughing.

"Don't worry! That's the weakest attack I can do!" Dante said between gasps for breath.

"Dante! Stop attacking your friends!" Maryanna scolded, getting up. "Mason, stop being a baby! Both of you shut up!" The two boys held each other and shook in fear.

"Now I'm going to lie down, and I will sleep. UNDERSTOOD!?" the two boys covered their heads and looked down.

"Yes Captain!" They both said at the same time.

000

"It is actually a pretty town." Maryanna noted, looking around. They had just got off the train and were inspecting it from the front steps.

"I bet everything's beautiful when you actually get sleep." Mason muttered, rubbing his forehead. He and Dante learned the hard way that Maryanna valued her sleep.

"You must the mages I was contacted about." A man appeared out of nowhere and purred, taking their luggage from them and putting it on a nearby cart. "But I never would have guessed Fairy Tail still had such stunning young talent." The man, about nineteen years old, winked at Maryanna, making her crumble.

"Well I don't like to brag but..." Dante lifted his arm and flexed a muscle.

"HE WAS TALKING ABOUT ME!" Maryanna assured, tackling Dante.

"He was obviously indicating me!" Dante shouted as he tried to get up, but Maryanna placed both of her hands on his shoulders and kept him down.

"I apologize for my friends." Mason said to the man. "I really need to stop calling them that in public." He added in a mutter.

"Anyway, I'm Mason Marcotte and you have met Dante Atene and Maryanna Lux." He continued formally.

"It is an honour, although I already gained if information on all of you." The man bowed, his long black hair falling in front of his face when he did. "I only hope you can help us."

"Oh yeah!" Dante poked his neck out of Maryanna's stranglehold momentarily. "When do we get our info?"

"My friend is right; we were told we would be further informed." Mason backed him up.

"My apologies." He man bowed again. "I'm Randal Sakura; I will be informing you on your task. Follow me; I will take you to meet the victims." He turned and left the station, going down the street. The team looked at each other strangely, but followed.

"Recently our town's female population has been under siege by a terrible criminal. The series of assaults began last months, over 15 women have fallen victim to him."

"Any deaths?" Mason piped in, not meaning to sound so blunt.

"Luckily, no. Our local police have been working desperately to find him, but they eventually admitted defeat. The mayor is a very wealthy man and posted the reward himself." The man turned and met their eyes. "My father will meet us there."

_So he is the mayor's son_. Dante noted, storing the information.

"The man is a monster. He raped every girl and left them to harbor his child." The man spat, Dante stopped. Rape was a soft spot for him; his sister was raped when he was only a child.

"Sick fucker." He grumbled, not knowing enough words to portray his anger. He was going to find this man and beat him senseless for every woman he touched wrongly.

"We are here." Randy stated, leading them inside a small building. He stepped out of the way and let the boys in, but held back Maryanna.

"I beg you not to go in there. A delicate beauty like you shouldn't have to hear their reports. "He held her by the chin and tilted it up to look at them.

"I-I..." Maryanna's breath caught in her throat. She was flustered beyond recognition; she began to sweat like crazy.

"I should go with them." She finally got out. "I would feel bad if I let them do the mission all by themselves." He tilted her head back towards him.

"Surely they would understand, if such a man were to target you..."

"He won't." She assured with a smile, breaking away and going inside.

"Mary." He grabbed her arm and stopped her. "Be careful. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if something happened to someone as exquisite as you." Maryanna blushed heavily before breaking off again and going inside. If she looked at him one more second, she swore she was going to burst with emotion.

"There you are." Dante grabbed her arm and led her inside. "The Mayor is here."

"I'm glad to see you mages." The mayor spoke through his thick mustache. Randy entered the room and smiled.

"Mayor, these are indeed the mages." He assured.

"Thank you Randal. Also, I'd like to thank you for all the work you have done for these hurt souls." He indicated the women.

Dante approached a woman and laid a soft hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry to hear about your pregnancy." He said, looking down at her stomach.

She reached back a fist and socked him in the face.

"I'm not pregnant you jerk!" She huffed at him, crossing her arms.

"My mistake." Dante groaned, lying on the floor, twitching in pain. A lump slowly began to rise on his head.

Once the silence returned, the women began.

Each pregnant woman gave their personal report of the rape. There were many tears, each of which was wiped off by Randal. Mason knew he was being considerate and caring, but it was getting to the point where he was taking advantage of their emotional state. Each of the girls saw him lovingly in their state, no matter what he did.

Once they were done, the team excused themselves and went outside.

"How are we supposed to find this guy?" Dante asked. It was the very first problem with the situation.

"The logical way would be to use bait..." Mason began, looking at Maryanna.

"No! There is no way we are putting her out there with a man like that!" Dante exclaimed loudly, putting a protective arm in front of her.

"How else do you expect us to find him?" Mason shot back. "We aren't going to find him walking down the street!"

"I'll do it!" Maryanna shot out, both of them looking at her with bewilderment. "But you two better not let him do anything to me! The second we see him we are taking him down!"

000

Mason coughed awkwardly.

"Is the outfit really necessary?" he asked, on purpose not looking at it.

"It was Dante's idea!" Maryanna put her hands on her hips and looked at him expectantly, a look that would have made any man melt with her outfit.

She wore a skimpy metallic green boob tube that showed _everything_, it bounced and jiggled with every move she made. She also wore the tightest jean shorts you could think of.

"Sorry, but we want it to happen tonight. We can't let him pass over you." Dante explained formally. He then squatted in the (clean!) trash can and put on the lid. Mason followed suit next to him.

Mason sat there, readying himself. He tried his best to initiate the low-gravity thing on himself so he could move faster, but it was hard. He hoped it activated on its own when the time came. He didn't have any weapons, so he decided he would tackle the man and stun him while Dante took care of him.

"How long does it take for a freaking rapist?" Maryanna asked. She reached up to her hair and pulled out the ribbon, readying it.

"Here comes someone." Maryanna whispered after about ten minutes. She held her breath and got ready to call the chosen signal.

She let it out slowly when she saw Randal in the dim light.

"Randal, you scared me!" She exclaimed. He walked over and held her chin again.

"I'm sorry darling, I couldn't resist myself. I needed to see you." He looked down and stared at her revealing outfit.

"Randy." Maryanna coughed awkwardly. "Randy! I'm up here!" Without warning, he grabbed her and mashed her lips against his. She pushed him off smartly.

"Randy! I thought you of all people wouldn't do that!" She huffed turned around, walking away.

"Oh you're not getting away that easily." He hissed, grabbing her arm and pulling her back to him. He kissed her again and placed his hands along her smooth back, beginning to move them along it.

"Randy, stop it!" she pushed him off to arm's length and slapped him. Having heard enough, Mason shot out of his garbage can, fists raised.

"Let her go Randy!" After hearing his partner reveal himself, Dante followed suite, holding two cards.

"You sicken me." Was his only comment.

Mason's jaw dropped. All at once he figured it out. It all fit together perfectly.

"Mary get away from him!" He yelled, using Mary because it wasn't such a mouthful. "Dante get him! He is the rapist!"

Dane's eyes widened momentarily before lowering on him. He dropped his cards and lunged at Randal.

Randal smirked, holding Maryanna closer to his body. He cut through the air with his hand, emitting a bright flash of light. All the boys could hear were the leathery flapping of wings as they refocused their eyes.

"Dammit Dante, he's an Incubus! " Mason cleared his vision and watched him fly away.

"Of course!" Dante cursed loudly and kicked a garbage can. "Who else would you least expect?"

"He's not the mayor's son either; he wanted us to rule him out because of that. When we saw the mayor, he never once called him his son; Randy didn't call his father either."

"He's a clever fucker. He only brought us here-"

"Because an Incubus is a demon. They feed on magical energy." Mason answered for him. Dante nodded in agreement.

**A/N: I know that isn't true but can we pretend?**

"We need to get Maryanna before..." Dante shuddered.

"Then we need to stop talking! Where did he go?"

"He's got a sick sense of humor." Dante rose to his full height, seeing him. "The demon is on the roof of the church."


	5. UAM Pt 2

Mason and Dante strolled in grimly, spotting Maryanna tied up in her own ribbons. She was gagged and each of her limbs was tied to sections of the priests table. Thankfully, she was still fully clothed, if you could call what she had on before clothed.

"Look darling!" The incubus sat there idly on the priests table, swinging his legs. "We have guests."

"Incubi are minor demons Randal. Give her up; you can't stand against two Fairy Tail wizards." Dante threatened with confidence.

"Oh can I?" He burst out laughing. He flapped three times, hovering over to the podium where he now stood.

Randy had undergone a transformation. Tight black and red pants covered his lower section as well as boots. They were decorated with chains, skulls, as well as silver scales along his thigh. His upper section hung open, showing his muscular chest. Black tattoos plagued ran across the pale skin. He wore some kind of jacket, decorated similarly to his pants, other than the seemingly random belts that decorated his arm. Twin red horns sprouted from the only thing that hadn't changed; his head. Large, red, draconic wings sprouted from his back. To top it all off, a skeletal tail ran from his backside.

"Shadow magic is my specialty." He grinned broadly as an object sped over to him in the clutches of a tendril of shadow; it was Dante's card pack.

Dante frantically tapped around his body, looking for them. He hadn't even noticed!

"Now you are useless. Both of you can't do magic." Randy stuck out a lip at them in a mock pout. "Too bad your friend is a newbie."

Dante grinded his teeth in frustration. There was no way he was leaving Maryanna to that_ thing_. How was he going to fight him?

Mason met his eyes, realizing his responsibility. He was the only one who could use magic right now, he would need to find it within himself and take on the Incubus.

"You take care of Maryanna; I'll deal with the demon." Mason muttered. Dante nodded, and they attacked.

"I'll teach you not to touch women you demon!" Mason flexed his fingers, feeling the now familiar light-weight effect course through his body.

Exhilaration ran through Mason's veins, readying the muscles it found. A lightness overcame him; filling him with energy. His core thrummed with excitement, sending blood to all his extremities. His lungs felt no strain as his breathing quickened, adding to the effect.

"You're a fool!" The incubus laughed madly, taking off into the air.

The Demon could fly, there was no way the wizards could outrun him with the girl anyway. He might as well have a little fun.

"What's wrong fairy?" he smiled as he hovered in the air. "I thought fairies could fly!"

"I don't need to!" Mason exclaimed, setting off in a run. He leapt in the air, landing on one of the long benches. He pushed off of that onto one of the large window's sills, and then finally straight at the incubus.

"Impressive," the incubus flapped once, sending him just above Mason's reaching hands. "But not good enough."

"Come down here and fight me you coward!" Mason bellowed, buying time as Dante frantically untied Maryanna.

"You want me to come down, alright." The demon surprisingly folded in his wings and shot down to the ground, landing on the priest's table. It shattered, sending Maryanna, Dante, and splinters everywhere.

"Shadow magic." He stated, letting shadows of the room slowly gather around his forearm. "There's nothing like it!" he whipped them out, lashing his two friends.

"Shit..." Dante muttered turning over. He gasped as he pulled a rather large shred of wood out of his arm.

"Maryanna." He grabbed her arm and shook her. "C'mon Maryanna." He cursed again when he saw her body, she was much was off than him. The shock knocked her unconscious, now her body was riddle with sharp splinters.

"Fairy's interrupt my play time, I'll find another girl!" the demon stated, using his wings to speed off to a door in the back.

"Dante! Maryanna!" Mason yelled, leaning down.

"I'm fine Mason; I'll take care of her." He looked at Mason and met his eyes, sending a silent message.

"Bring me its head." Dante smirked at the gravity mage

"Nothing less." He grinned back. Wasting no more time, he did a gravity-assisted sprint towards the back door.

"Now, it's time to play doctor." Dante struggled up, still smiling at his dirty joke. He ripped off his overcoat and his team t-shirt. It was cotton, so it would tie and staunch the wounds better. He ribbed the bottom hem off of it with his teeth.

"I don't know if you can hear me or not Maryanna, but I'm gonna try and help your wounds." He said to her unmoving body slowly. With a sickening noise, he pulled out the largest of the wood pieces, making her body shudder. He quickly wrapped the cotton strip around it and tied it tightly.

"One down, twenty-thousand to go." Dante mumbled grimly.

000

"Are you fucking kidding me!?" Mason screamed; the sound echoing up the tower. A spiral staircase ran up the sides of the tower. It was large; if he walked he would be too late.

"C'mon Mason." He clapped his hands and rubbed them together. "You can do this, you can do this!"

He grunted as he shot off to the staircase directly in front of him, about fifteen feet up. He flung out his hands and grabbed hold, hauling himself up.

"And AGAIN!" he pushed off and went for another fifteen foot vertical and made it. This time, he didn't have to use his hands; he landed fine with his feet. When he got enough of the hang of it, he could push off the moment he felt the staircase under his foot, saving some momentum. He continued with this strategy, its efficiency getting him to the top of the tower way quicker than walking.

"Alright Randy..." Mason wheezed and stumbled, leaning against the large church bell. "You're going down."

_Why do I feel so weak?_ Mason inquired. Maybe it was because he used so much magic, he didn't know.

"You poor thing." A female voice purred from behind him, slowly helping him back onto his feet.

"Huh?" Mason looked down at the soft hands. The most beautiful woman sat before him. Scarlet hair ran down her back, striking eyes and sharp features decorated her face. Freaking GIGANTIC tits decorated her chest. She turned slightly, he could have sworn for this reason, and Mason got a nice view of her ass.

"You must be so tired." She tripped his feet and he fell face-first into her huge chest. "Here! You can take a nap on my soft pillows."

Actually, that wasn't a bad idea to Mason. He could use a nap, and there was a smoking hot girl more than happy to let him use her breasts right in front of him.

She slowly backed up and sat on the edge of the small openings surrounding the bell, still pushing Mason into her cleavage.

They were so soft, god they were absolutely staggering. They were soft, squishy, and warm; Mason stopped resisting and let his face fall into her breasts.

"Wait!" Mason pulled himself out of his lull. "I need to be looking for Randal!"

"Randal?" the women put a finger to her cheek, thinking. God she looked hot when she did that. "I've never heard of a Randal before."

"Wait..." Mason looked at her and frowned, stating to doubt the situation. "What are you doing on top of a church?"

"Why, looking for you silly!" she got up, intentionally throwing her boobs around as she did so, making Mason's heart want to flip and his pants wanna rip. "I heard there was a nice, strong mage coming to town. I had to look for him."

She approached him, walking up to him until she was pressing up against him. She slowly traced a thin finger down his chest. Mason let out a shaky breath, his judgement slowly clouding.

He... he wanted to stay here. Yeah, he wanted to stay here with this woman!

"You know, were are all alone up here." She purred again, going closer to him. She pressed her body against his and rubbed her boobs up and down his chest at an agonizingly slow pace.

"Nobody would know..." she whispered slowly, placing her crotch against his.

"Nngh." Mason kept a moan from escaping his lips. Half his mind was resisting, but the other mind just wanted to grab her by the... let's not go into details. His clouded state kept any conscious thought to a minimum, stopping him from doubting or running away.

"So you found me to do-?" He asked through clenched teeth, allowing her to finish the sentence.

"Whatever your into." She chuckled, grabbing one of his hands and slowly placing it on her lower back, hoping his animalistic instincts would take over from there.

She pushed against him more, resting her cheek against his.

"_I'm your'sss_." she purred seductively, directly into his ear. She took the time to place soft, seductive kisses around his neck.

He allowed his hand to slowly fall, right above her round butt. He reached for it, but then resisted and pulled back.

_What are you doing!? _Half his mind asked.

_Resisting_ The logical side answered... logically.

_Why?_

_Because..._ His mind stopped there, finding any other information behind an impenetrable mist.

"Let yourself go!" She said excitedly, pushing his body more, onto the edge of the opening. She hopped up and wrapped her legs around him, pushing her groin into his. He emitted a moan that was deeply satisfying to the girl.

Let himself go... It made so much sense. Why was he resisting? It was illogical. He should let himself go and ravish her on the spot. Here was a girl with a heavenly body begging for him to take her, and he wasn't?

The girl slowly pulled off her light tank top. It came over her head; releasing her breasts to jiggle around in a red scrap of clothing she called a bra.

She smirked as she followed his eyes.

"You can touch them you know? I'm yours." She smiled broadly. After seeing his emotional conflict on his face, she huffed impatiently.

"Let's stop stalling and do this." She stated before ramming her lips against his.

Mason eyes widened in surprise. He tired to back up more, but nearly fell off the church. Her tongue attacked the inside of his mouth, taking him by surprise again. She scooted up higher on him, forcing her breasts to squish against his neck. One of her hands reached down and slowly rubbed against the bulge in his pants. The lust filled feeling returned to Mason, he wanted nothing more than to... again, details.

Suddenly, a calm voice echoed throughout Mason's mind.

"_Bring me its head._" The haze over his mind disappeared, like darkness in a newly lit room. His thoughts returned to him in full, reminding him of his purpose.

He brought a hand back and slapped the girl across her cheek. His hands lifted his bum off of the bottom edge of the opening, just enough for him to bring back a foot and kick her in the chest.

"Get your hands off of me, demon." He muttered at the form on the floor.

"Demon is a harsh word." The girl looked up with a devilish smile. "If I didn't know any better I would say you were enjoying it."

Mason wiped off his lips with his wrist, wanting to get the taste of the demon out of his mouth.

"I only admit to falling under a spell, the thoughts and actions were not mine," Mason smield and looked at her in the eyes. "Succubus."

"My my your smarter than you look." The succubus helped herself to her feet and dusted herself off.

"I thought it was impossible for a male to resist a succubus's spell, I guess your just special." She smirked at him and winked, secretly activating her charm once again.

Her face suddenly took on a hurt tone.

"Why do you look at me so wrongly? I did no crime." She subbed once, a tear beginning to form. "I helped you and gave myself to you, but then you assault me?"

"I-I..." Mason stuttered, lost for words. She had actually done nothing wrong. She wasn't the incubus they were looking for. She was a simple, innocent-

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" Mason doubled over suddenly and clutched his skull by his temples, nearly falling for it again.

"I think it's time for my brother to do the talking." She smiled and waved, and then her form flickered into the familiar form of Randal. He was the same, except this time he was in his human form.

"I see you met my counterpart." Randy smiled, spotting the red lipstick that dotted his neck.

"Don't educate me, I know the process." Mason grumbled with a frown. Incubus and Succubus were the two forms of a single, unknown demon. They both had natural charm abilities, especially over the opposite sex.

"I swear to god, I'll tear your head of your fucking body. You assaulted 15 women! You monster!"

"Oh dear," He leaned his head back and laughed, morphing into his demon form at the same time. "You have NO idea how much I don't care!" He emphasised the last two words.

Tired of talking, he simply absorbed all of the shadows onto his forearms. It looked as if he was wearing the arms of a huge black parka.

Black shadows lashed out at Mason's legs, he jumped up on top of the bell. He squatted there, using the rope holding it up to steady himself.

"You are fast." The demon squinted at him. "And that is annoying."

He leapt at him on the bell, his shadows lengthening into claws. He struck at him, but Mason grabbed the rope and used it as a shield, if he swung right, he would go left. Left? He would go right. It worked pretty well until Randal cut the bell down.

It hit the floor with a huge vibration, reverberating up Mason's legs. He had no control over his lower body and his knees buckled, sliding off of the bell.

"Shit!" Mason leapt off of the bell tower and onto the pointed roof of the church. He landed on one foot, slowly cushioning his weight while waiting for the demon's reaction.

"This game of cat and mouse is getting old." The incubus slowly lowered himself on the rooftop. "You can't defeat me; I'm a fully fledged demon. You're a puny, magicless mage."

_Snap_.

Mason's eye's flashed green as he lunged at Randy, almost too fast to track. The air around his hands seemed to ripple, an effect of his magic. His knuckles connected with Randy's stomach, the gravity magic sending him flying into the bell tower.

"Magicless!?" Mason bellowed. His feet lifted off of the church roof and he floated overtop of Randal. His new pride over his magic made him snap at the demons' comment, the straw that broke the camel's back.

"Quiet down, brat!" the demon shot up and sent a thick beam of shadow at Mason. Mason simply knocked it out of the air with his hand, creating a tiny, thin gravity field in front of his hand.

"First I'm weak, now I'm a brat?" Mason loaded the gravity on himself and he slammed down on the church roof with force, sending the clay shingles everywhere.

"Gravity Magic: Pull!" Mason shot out his hand, loading the gravity around the incubus. He shot out his wings and tried to take off, but the gravity instantly slammed him back down to earth.

"Tell me I'm weak now, demon!" He yelled, clenching his fist and increasing the gravity round him. The incubus sat and his hands and knees, not being able to go any higher. The gravity started to make the tip of the pointed roof flatten.

The demon screamed and unleashed a huge mass of shadows, creating an aura of his chosen weapon that broke the spell.

"Now... you made me mad." He grumbled, stalking towards Mason.

"Tell me I'm weak!" Mason repeated, his green tattoo blazing. He shot at the demon, which also followed suit.

The incubus boasted a swarm of writhing shadows, but Mason tucked his body horizontally at the last moment, slipping in between the shadow. He two-foot kicked him, using gravity to hurl him back to earth.

After floating momentarily, Mason clenched his fists together and raised them above his head. He quadrupled the gravity around him and sent him flying into the grounded demon.

000

"Mason!" Maryanna, now feeling better, shot up at the passing mage.

"What happened?" Dante, who was currently being treated for his own wounds, demanded.

"I killed him." Mason stated in a monotone. He threw Dante's cards at him with a simple, "Here".

"What's wrong with you dude? That's awesome!" Dante exclaimed, high-fiving Maryanna. Mason closed his eyes and sighed.

"I just don't want to talk about it, okay?" In truth he was ashamed. He had thrown away logic and clung onto that Succubus like it was his last dollar. His friends were hurt; meanwhile Mason was getting some action on top of the church. If anyone knew... no. He would crumble under all the shame he felt. If the time comes he may confess to Dante, but definitely not Maryanna, she couldn't keep a secret for her life.

"Just lead me to somewhere I can sleep." Mason tore off his sweat-soaked tunic, hoping the cold walk would chill down his nerves a bit.


	6. I Had a Dream About You

**Since the introductory to the guild was a little rushed last time, Mason will calm down and actually meet some people this time!**

Mason woke with a cold sweat that covered his body, all of his nerves were freaking out, sending a strange tingling feeling along his body_._ He had just gone through a nightmare that was sure to return.

_He had been sitting in the church's bell tower just like yesterday. The succubus suddenly appeared. His attention couldn't be ripped away from her. It was definitely the same one, her body, her striking eyes, he remembered it perfectly._

_Suddenly, his friends had called out to him. He looked down and saw Dante, Maryanna, Synnova and... Mirajane? They were all in some sort of danger, and calling for his help._

_He tried to reach out to them, but the demon held him in place. The rest of the dream consisted of him hearing the desperate cries of help from his friends and Mirajane, while he couldn't move and the succubus reveled in him._

They had traveled throughout the night to make it back to Magnolia in a single day, so he slept in until about noon. The unfamiliar house he was in must have been Dante's.

He studied the room. It was a basic enough guest room. Pale yellow walls, wooden flooring, a mahogany dresser and bed frame, and a double bed.

He slowly rose and found himself in his clothes. He was mad that his clothes now stunk like sweat, but he would much rather that than have someone undress him. The last thing he remembered was entering Magnolia station, so he only guessed he passed out.

He stumbled out into what would be the kitchen and dining room. He soon found the house to be empty; Dante must have gone to the guild. He decided to eat something, that always helped a situation.

Passing by the table, he found a note, slightly raised off the table. He picked it up, it was surprisingly heavy, and read the neat handwriting.

_At the guild._

_Don't spend it all in one place._

_~Dante Atene_

_P.S. Carry yourself home next time._

He turned the note over and smiled, tied to the back was a wad of bills. It must have been his share of the mission reward, 200,000 Jewels if he remembered.

He quickly ate and tidied up, although it did nothing to help his nerves or his fatigue. He walked out the front door, and then cursed. He didn't know the way to the guild.

"Excuse me miss." He grabbed the wrist of a passing girl. She returned to him and blushed heavily.

"How can I help you _sir_?" She purred the last word, making Mason roll his eyes.

"Which way to the Fairy Tail guild?" He inquired, she frowned at him.

"Easy, just down the river. You must be new here-"

"Thanks!" He cut her off, not caring for whatever gender-specific thoughts she had in mind.

Being a huge building, he picked it out quite easily. He quietly opened the large doors and slipped inside, finding it its usual rowdiness. He didn't pick out Dante or anybody else he knew, so he sat down at the bar table with his head in his hands.

"Someone finally got up!" Lucy commented from her table with her friends, but this time he ignored her. He just wanted something to drink.

"Hey Mason!" Mirajane bubbled, as usual, when he plopped down on a bar stool.

"How do you know my name?" He grumbled, putting his face in his hands.

"It's Fairy Tail! I make sure to know everyone's name!" She lowered her head and tried to look him in his eyes.

"Iced Te-" He cut himself off, cursing. "Something I can drink."

"Here you go!" she slammed down a large mug and went off to serve someone else. Mason Held it up, took a tentative sniff, and chugged down a gulp.

He started gagging the second he got it down. It tasted terrible! It felt like loquid fire. His very throat seemed to reject it.

"You guys drink this!?" He said, coughing, to no one in particular.

"Those of us who can hold our alcohol do!" Someone sneered from behind him, but he ignored him too.

"Maybe you're a tad young." Mirajane put on her best smile and grabbed his mug. "I'll getcha something else."

"How was your mission?" Mirajane asked, plopping down a mug.

"Good." He answered simply, taking a sip from the mug. He frowned when he tasted it, it was milk. Just because he couldn't take straight alcohol didn't mean he was a child.

"Turns out it was an Incubus," he muttered. Because of the incubi's "Habits" he didn't want to yell it out to everyone. "It's alright; we killed it and got the reward.

"Good thing you're safe! Congratulations!" Mira replied. Mason looked up at her with difficulty, trying to keep his eyes open.

"You look sleepy though..." She joked, smiling brightly. Mason couldn't' help but smile. Mirajane was so kind and caring, it was impossible to frown around her.

"I had- never mind." He quickly cut himself off and shook his head.

"What!?" Mirajane demanded happily.

"It's stupid." Mason reassured and dank a couple chugs from his mug.

"I'm sure it's not." Mirajane put her head in her hands and looked at him with a smile.

"Alright, but you asked for it." He muttered and looked at her in the eyes.

"I had a strange dream last night..." He stopped; he may as well say it now. "And you were in it."

"Oh!" Mirajane shot back and blushed, red as a tomato.

"No! No!" He waved his hands in front of him. "Not like that!"

"Okay, good." Mirajane sighed in relief, letting out a small chuckle."I didn't know what to say."

"I'm sorry. I know that gives you the wrong idea, but I have no idea how you got there!" He made frantic gestures with his hands in a desperate attempt to explain himself. "You were just... there."

Mason let his forehead slam on the counter.

"Leave please, before I make a bigger fool of myself."

"If you say so!" Mirajane giggled uncontrollably and went to serve someone else.

"I'm an idiot." Mason muttered, forehead still on the counter. "That's the hottest girl here and now she thinks I'm creepy."

"Keep your chin up boy!" A small hand slapped Mason's back.

"Ahh!" Mason shot up, seeing a little dwarf on the stool beside him. "Did you-"

"Every word." The dwarf chuckled as Mason's head got to know the counter better.

"Don't worry; life is pretty easy on us actually. Considering women outnumber men by a favorable number, your love life is usually pretty smooth."

"Thanks for the advice." He said, although he barely listened to it.

"If you ask me, you should keep it in Fairy Tail." He looked up; the Old Dwarf's voice was down to a whisper. He placed a hand on his mouth and looked side to side.

"This year we have alot of pretty female young wizards. They-"

"That's enough!" Mason raised both of his hands, very creeped out by an old dwarf telling him how pretty the young girls looked.

"Who runs this place?" Mason inquired to no one, looking straight ahead. "They all seem like a band of rowdy wizards with no order."

"Those are my rowdy wizards you're talking about!" The dwarf said with a smile. Mason slowly turned to him, revealing a face of horror.

"You mean-?" Mason began.

"Yup!" The Master answered, somehow knowing what he was going to say.

"I'm so sorry!" Mason started crying and got on his knees, frantically bowing.

"I swear I didn't know! Seriously! Please give me another chance! Don't kick me out!" Mason bowed furiously and cried.

"Get up child! I won't see my newest recruit groveling at anyone's feet!" Makarov crossed his arms and made a "Harrumph" noise. Mason quickly shot back up to his stool and dusted himself off.

"So you're Makarov?" Mason raised an eyebrow at him.

"Yes Makarov is a dwarf, har har JOKES OVER!" His face suddenly took on the liking of a shark and he screamed the last two words.

"That's not what I meant!" Mason raised his hands in innocence.

"Have you seen Dante or Maryanna?" He asked, changing the subject.

"I see you made some friends." The Master smiled and nodded. "I believe they went off to lunch somewhere."

"Thanks!" Mason got up, as if he was going to go find them. He looked around the room, wanting to talk to someone else, maybe this time he wouldn't make a fool out of himself.

So far a beautiful girl and his boss... He couldn't make a fool out of himself to anyone more important than that... because there isn't anyone.

"Something stinks." A girl commented from behind him. He quickly sniffed his own armpit, definitely him.

"Sorry," He turned around to find who he remembered to be Lisanna "That's me. "

"I know you!" she said with realization, forgetting her past comment. "You're Mason! The guys who lost his memory."

"That would be me." He agreed with a smile.

"Your sister is Mirajane, right?" He asked while sitting down.

"Yup, I'm Lisanna." She smiled and took a seat across from him. "Don't worry; I'm used to being overshadowed by my sister's beauty." She rolled her eyes.

"I know what you mean." He shook his head. "I had a sister, all the boys wouldn't stop bugging me about-"He caught himself.

_Shit._

"I thought you lost your memory?' Lisanna frowned, saying it almost as an accusation.

"I-." He desperately tried to come up with something. "I remember bits and pieces. A smile here, a sentence there, I have a hazy memory of my family, but that is all."

"You poor thing!" She took on a sad face and ran a slow hand down his shoulder.

"I'm fine." He insisted, pulling away from her grip. It was one thing to lie like he was, to fit into a crowd. But if you were using it to take advantage of people, especially girls, that crosses the line. No brownie points this time.

"Alright." She still looked worried, but she relented. "I don't want to be mean, but you really do need a shower." She added with a smile.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I haven't taken one in memory so far." He smirked back, trying to lighten the subject with humor.

"That's okay! There is a great hot springs a couples blocks down." Lisanna pointed in its direction.

"Ahhhhh." A smile formed on Mason's face as he imagined warm water soothing all his muscles. "I'm so there.

000

"Oh dear lord." Mason happily sunk his body into the small hot springs. It was a small room, about fifteen by fifteen, which was mostly taken up by the pool. Hooks ran around the room, a single door granted entry and exit.

Right before he left, Lisanna had noticed his fatigue and diagnosed it. Apparently, he had used a substantial amount of his "Magic Energy". The way she explained it, there was a container inside him filled with magic. It was always gradually filling, and when you use magic, it empties slightly. If it runs out, you die... or something. Mason forgot.

Usually, Mason was quite uncomfortable with nakedness. This time, he had closely inspected the entire building and found not a single soul other than himself. This time he allowed some relaxation, all of the clothing he owned was hanging on the hooks.

He sighed once again and sunk deeper in the seemingly magical water. It seemed to untie knots in his mussels, long stiff limbs loosened out in the water. He was starting to fall asleep.

The sound of rippling water brought him from his thoughts. Mason opened his eye slightly, seeing a familiar pink-haired boy in the water with him.

"Oh, hey guy!" The boy exclaimed, smiling. "I remember you!"

"Oh yeah, I never got your name." Mason smiled awkwardly. He would want to be anywhere but here, but if his peer was fine with it, he wasn't going to complain. If he spoke up, it would make an awkward moment that everyone was sure to get word of, as long as someone told Maryanna they would.

Mason frowned slightly when he saw Natsu's clothes,_ all_ of them, on the hooks.

"Natsu Dragoneel!" He got out of the water a bit, smiling. Mason cringed slightly, but he took his hand.

"I overheard Lisanna talking about this place and had to check it out!" He explained, putting his hands behind his head and leaning back.

"That's uh, cool." Mason smiled and nodded, edging to the corner of the pool, the farthest away from Natsu he could be.

" Looks like a party!" Mason looked to see Gray enter.

"At least you don't have to take off any clothes!" Natsu commented with a smile. Gray looked down to see he already had his clothes off.

'It was useful for once!" Gray commented in surisingly good humor.

"It's getting a little stuffy in here, I think I'll go-"Mason began.

"Hot Springs bitches!" Loke exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air and walking in.

"I'm actually leaving now!" Mason stated, trying to get out of the water _again_.

"Mind if I join?" A female voice asked.

"ERZA!?" Mason's dropped at she undressed with complete ease. She sat down in the tub with the group of boobs. Err, boys.

"Okay, I think I'm done right now..." Mason excused himself and tried to rise out of the water.

"Sit back down." Erza ordered slowly.

"Yes ma'am." Mason dropped himself back in the tub, letting the water rise to his neck.

_Not to self, large boobs float_. He thought from his good view along the top of the water.

"I don't know what your problem is, prude." Erza frowned and layed her arms out across the edge of the tub, lifting her boobs out of the water. Mason didn't know what she was thinking; you didn't bathe with men naked and _not_ get stared at.

"It's just where I come from people don't socialize naked I know I'm new here just please cut me some slack!" Mason sputtered out fearfully in one long sentence. Erza frowned at him and closed her eyes.

"If my naked form disgusts you, please, leave for your own sake." Erza growled.

"Oh c'mon!" Mason pleaded in Erza's direction. Everyone eagerly watched the exchange. "That's just setting me up! Just because I'm not jumping at a chance to stare at you naked doesn't mean it disgusts me!"

"He's right Erza." Natsu backed him up. "You-"

"Quiet!" She raised a hand.

"Yes ma'am." Natsu sank in the water.

"If you insist on being polite, I urge you to leave." Erza stared at him hard, fire in her eyes. Someone had just talked back to her and she didn't enjoy it.

_Yeesh, what's her problem_. Mason rose out of the water and wrapped a towel around him. He snatched his clothes and walked out into the main hallway.

"Which one was the change room?" Mason pondered. He tried a random door, not knowing it was the personal baths.

"Shit." Mason muttered, spotting the nude form of Lucy Heartfilia in the tub.

"Sexual Assault!" She screamed, grabbing a towel and wrapping herself.

"It was an accident Lucy!" Mason lowered his head and covered his eyes with her hands. "I'm gonna leave now!"

Mason took a step back and slipped on a waxed tile. He opened his eyes, finding himself on his back. Lucy stood in front of him, her towel covering herself. Of course... that didn't work when you were on the floor.

"Perve!" She accused, bringing down a foot on Mason's nose.

**Used with permission.**


	7. Mira in a Skimpy Bikini! Pt 1

"What's your problem?" Dante asked Mason.

"Huh?" The question broke him from his intense, hate-filled stare that went all the way across the guild building. "Oh, nothing."

"How stupid do I look?" Dante leaned on the wooden table with an elbow. "Don't answer that. Point is that it's obviously nothing."

"Just have a bone to pick, that's all." Mason turned around completely, Erza Scarlet now out of his field of vision. "I'm not going to like everyone."

Dante laughed. "Erza? I followed your stare. Dude, nobody likes her, we just deal with her!" He exclaimed, not too loud.

"Just her attitude. The way she orders people around like she's Queen Shit. Like she's our superior." Mason met Dante's questioning gaze. "Okay, technically she is. But its like, 'I'll give you my respect when you actually earn it', understand?"

"Completely." Dante answered, tipping back his mug.

"And now, since I talked back once, the scariest, bossiest, rudest S-class Mage we have hates me." Mason muttered.

"You're fucked." Dante said flatly, wiping the alcohol from his lip. "Mirajane! Another!"

"Here you go Dante!" She walked by and placed a mug beside him. She turned around and winked at Mason, followed by a short giggle, before leaving.

Dante didn't even wait until she was out of earshot.

"What was that about!?" He exclaimed, throwing his fist into his friend's shoulder. A strange event like that couldn't pass without Dante pouncing at the opportunity.

"It's nothing." Mason muttered again, shaking his head.

"That's obviously not nothing! Think about it! A girl like HER could wink at ANY guy she wants, but she winks at YOU!" Dante leaned in closer with every emphasis.

"Pipe down and push off!" Mason said in a hush voice, placing his palms against Dante's chest.

"Like you said, she could get any guy. Why would she want to get caught dead with me?" Mason countered once Dante was back in his seat.

"Beats me! Trying to understand a girl is like trying to smell the color nine." Dante said in his usual manner.

"Don't try. Women understand women, and they all hate each other." Mason muttered, taking Dante's mug and drinking from it. He didn't think though, he barely got the whiskey down before erupting in a fit of coughing.

"_So_, you take advantage of the fact that a girl that's way out of your league is interested in you!"

"_Dante_." Mason wheezed, slapped the wooden table lightly, just enough to grab his friend's full attention. "She. Doesn't. Like. ME!"

"Who doesn't like you?" Mirajane snaked her head over Mason's shoulder and into the conversation.

"Oh!" Mason turned red as a tomato, while Dante barely controlled a laugh. "Hi Mirajane."

"I don't know why anyone wouldn't like you." Mirajane stood back up and smiled happily. "Your kind and sweet and funny!" Mason was lucky Mirajane walked away so she didn't spot his record shade of crimson.

"You can't deny that!" Dante pointed at Mirajane's form across the room.

"Oh yeah?" Mason stood up and placed both of his palms on the table. "Try me. Mirajane doesn't like me."

Feeling that he could sound much more convincing if he left after that, Mason walked away from his table and went to the bathroom. He made sure to look straight ahead, because he walked by Erza's table. It turned out when he passed by their table, he couldn't resist.

"Oh, hey Natsu!" Mason picked him out of the table cheerfully. "Hey Gray!" He passed by Lucy and put on a really apologetic face.

"Lucy." He acknowledged, nodding in her direction.

"Erza." He spat, facing her finally.

"Mage." She scolded, somehow managing it in one word.

"Oh yeah Mason." Gray interrupted the tension. "Makarov was looking for you."

"Thanks Gray." Mason smiled broadly, making sure to sound very thankful.

Mason went to the bathroom quickly and passed by, this time not looking at them at all.

"Mason!" He turned to find Makarov motioning him towards his usual place on the counter.

"Yes Master?" Mason bowed to him.

"Cut the formality," Makarov waved his hand, as if wiping it away. "I'd much rather talk to someone as a friend, like one of my children." Mason raised an eyebrow, but nodded.

"I received a report on your mission.' Makarov frowned at him now, looking at him from under bushy eyebrows. "It was foolish to take that on, especially with such a fresh group. None of you are very experienced; I would be much more at ease if you had an S-level mage with you."

"I completely understand Master. We were too excited and rushed into the mission without thinking it over." Mason replied. He went to high school, he knew how it worked. Agree with the teachers/wizards without kissing too much ass and you'll be fine.

"It is because of this I'm sending you to tag along with a different group. You will join them on their mission; hopefully you will learn a thing or two watching real magic at work." Mason nodded understandingly. He had no idea how not to be deadweight on a dangerous mission, but he didn't object to the judgement of the Guild Master.

"What group did you have in mind Master?"

"Well I chose Shadow Gear..." he pointed towards a table containing a pretty girl and two friendly looking men. Mason's heart did a flip; this was going to be awesome!

"But Natsu volunteered his group only half an hour ago." He said in a lower tone. Mason's expression dropped as he slowly followed his finger to their table.

Natsu waved furiously, Gray sat there doing nothing, Lucy frowned at him and stuck out her tongue and Erza tried to explode his head with her mind.

_Fuck_.

"Are you sure Master? I think you dropped Shadow Gear as a possibility too quickly." Mason suggested.

"Natsu insisted." The Master shrugged and returned to his drink, indicating the conversation was over. Mason sped over to his table, which now included Maryanna, and plopped his forehead on the table.

"Why is everyone plotting my demise?" He asked cryptically.

"Because they see you as a potential threat." Dante replied.

"Really?' Mason's head shot up.

"Not even close. You're a fly for them to swat." Dante replied, just as serious. Although the joke was bordering on rude, Maryanna couldn't hold in a snort.

"What has you down?" Maryanna asked worriedly, trying to lighten up the atmosphere.

"I have to do a mission with the only two people that hate me." Mason muttered, his face down on the table again. Dante spit out the drink that was in his mouth and burst out laughing.

"Who?" Maryanna asked, oblivious to the incidents that had caused their hate towards him.

"Erza hates him because Erza hates everyone. Lucy hates him because he looked up her towel." Dante saved Mason the explanation.

"Mason!" Maryanna scolded.

"I did not! It was accidental!" Mason defended.

"Want to know something else?" Dante asked Maryanna with a smile, making her nod.

"Why is Mira wearing that skimpy bikini?" Dante asked suddenly.

"Where?' Mason stretched his neck momentarily before realizing his mistake.

"Fuck you." He said to Dante, who was chuckling evilly, before turning to Maryanna.

"Now now Mary-"

"Eeeeeek!" Maryanna closed her eyes and squealed. "That is so cute! I need to-"She reached for her pocket to grab her phone, but Mason latched onto her elbow.

"I swear if you touch that phone I'm feeding it to Happy inside a fish." He threatened.

"Fish?" Happy chimed in, flying closer to their table.

"Sorry Happy, false alarm!" Dante called out.

"Awww."

"Maryanna, I swear I don't like her. You're playing right into Dante's evil plan." He explained slowly, meanwhile Dante did his best to look hurt.

"I think evil is a bit harsh; I prefer mischievous."

"I think you're just a little shy Mason." She smiled and slowly pulled his arm down. "Maybe if I invite her over here-"

"Don't!" He grabbed her arm again and pulled her down.

"Mason, in fairness... now you sound like you like her more."Maryanna looked at him with raised eyebrows.

Mason's spine gave up all hope and his face met the table, making everyone laugh.

"I'm convinced now that everyone really does hate me." He muttered.

000

Mason sighed. He had tried to put it off all night, but we would need to so it sooner or later.

"Hello." He said with no emotion, pulling up a chair to Team Natsu's table. To be safe, he sat between Natsu and Gray. Erza lowered her gaze at him, sending a clear message.

_What are you at our table?_

"Hey Mason." Natsu and Gray said at the same time, although Natsu said it with alot more emotion.

"I'm just here to ask about the mission we are going on together." He said.

"What!?" Three of the people at the table glared at him.

"Yeah! I got Master to put him with our team! Isn't that awesome!" Natsu said happily, now earning the glares for himself.

"You didn't think it was important enough to tell us sooner?" Erza bellowed accusingly at Mason.

"Look I just learned about this too!" Mason placed both of his palms on the table, getting ready to shoot up if Erza decided to.

"Well he chose the perfect deadweight." Erza huffed and crossed her gauntlets. "Even if it was a legitimate wizard and not you, five's a crowd. Four people fit in a train booth, in a Magic Vehicle, a carriage, you complicated the entire mission." She smirked at him cruelly. "Congratulations."

_I swear to god..._

Mason gripped the table tightly, but did not respond.

"Aww, don't worry Erza! We will work something out! These missions are important to new mages! Remember Lucy?" He looked towards her. She shot up, probably only half listening before, and looked quite flustered.

"Err, yeah. It was helpful to go on a mission." She sputtered out, not wanting to lean too much to Natsu's side and risk Erza's wrath.

"So what is the mission?" Mason asked slowly, still restraining himself. Erza smiled broadly.

"All we need is to overpower a fully grown wyvern while keeping him alive. After that, keep it subdued and transport it to the tower of the independent wizard who posted the mission." Erza smirked evilly, trying to intimidate him.

"I look forward to it!" Mason exclaimed, slamming a palm down on the table. He didn't know whether or not Erza saw through his weak cover-up of his fear, but in all honesty he didn't care. Her opinion meant less and less to him when she did stuff like that. He got up and left, wanting to get a nice long sleep before he went on the mission.


	8. Mira in a Skimpy Bikini! Pt 2

"Chin up!" Natsu slapped Mason's back and he shot up.

"Ha! Hey! Who are you?" His half-asleep eye's focused on Natsu. "Oh, hey Natsu."

Natsu sat down beside him at the guild. Not wanting to be late, Mason had come an hour before the scheduled meeting time for the mission. Sadly, he isn't much of a morning person and fell asleep on a barely-comfortable wooden table.

"You talk in your sleep by the way," Natsu grinned at him; Mason instantly blushed and expected the worst. "You really like Mirajane, don't you?"

"What! No, I- well- don't!"He managed to sputter.

"I'm kidding! Maryanna told me about your crush."

"God that girl!" Mason fumed, getting up. "I'm serious Natsu; I'm not interested in her."

"Whatever. Erza's here, look sharp." He got up and they both dusted themselves off. Erza banged open the doors and strode in. She wore a swagger that seemed as if she had an entire army behind her.

"Well, it's nice to see a touch of tact in the guild, even if it does come from its strange corners." She scowled, eyeing Mason.

Did... did he just get a compliment from Erza? He wasn't sure.

"Where are Gray and Lucy?" Mason asked automatically, sitting back down.

"Hell do I know." Erza snorted, sitting down at the same table as him.

Mason studied her actions carefully. If anything, they seemed a little lighter than yesterday. He was prepared to return anything she showed. He didn't want to seem weak, he could mirror anything Erza did on him. Forgive and forget? Gladly. She wants a fight? He isn't scared to bleed. All out feud? Get ready for war.

"The party don't start..." Someone called out from outside before the doors were kicked open, revealing Lucy. "'Till I walk in!"

"While we wait for Gray," Erza's gaze lingered on the announced Mage. "I'll take the time to talk to you."

Mason widened his eyes when she looked at him.

"I'm going to warn you, this is still your choice. You don't have to come along with us. If you do decide, I'm warning you, it is dangerous. Life threatening. If you are in the wrong place at the wrong time," She slid her thumb across her throat and made a strange noise. "This isn't practice, people get injured and killed. You have to carry your weight."

"I won't be deadweight. I'll risk my life on the frontline just like everyone else. I don't like to fight, but I'm not scared to bleed." He answered confidently. Erza snorted. Although she made no comment, she sent it clear enough with her body language.

_We will see_.

"Let's get going." Gray stated, pushing the doors out of the way.

"We were going to, but you're late you weather-bitten pummock!" Natsu challenged, standing up.

"Half-faced lout!" Gray countered.

"There is no way we are hearing this again!" Lucy grabbed Natsu by the collar and drug his flailing from out of the guild.

"Coz Gray, thine insults are artless as a full-gorged giglet. Prithee have better ones anon." Mason smiled broadly.

"That's awesome!" Gray smiled a rare smile.

"I took Shake- I mean Old Literature in school." He explained as they went outside with the others.

"MASON! I swear if you start too I'm leaving you behind!" Lucy threatened from outside, making both of them laugh.

_Maybe this won't be so bad. Natsu is pretty cool, Gray and Lucy aren't as bad as I thought, but-_

"Hurry up slowpokes!" Erza bellowed from outside.

_Of course there is always her._

They walked all the way to the train station, Lucy and Natsu rambling on about something or other. At one point, Natsu's bag began to move and Happy hopped out. Apparently he had been sleeping previously.

The second it got out it locked eye's with Mason, who sent him a hard glare. Without a signal, they exchanged hushed insults.

"Stupid cat."

"Stinky human."

"You chase lasers."

"You eat with your hands."

"Cat's don't bathe."

"You shower together."

"You're not wearing any clothes!"

"You poop in the same place!" Mason looked at him strangely and scoffed.

"You poop in sand! You just kick some sand on it and leave it there!"

The cat grew wings and hovered in front of his face, determined to beat the human.

"You're a freaky hybrid.

"Exceed."

"Exceed what?"

"Humans are stupid."

"Cat's cough up hair!"

"Human's stare at girls all day."

"You're afraid of water."

"You're afraid of hard work."

"Cat's lick themselves."

"This cat only licks your mom." Happy said smugly, crossing his arms before flying off.

"COME BACK HERE YOU FLUFFY EARED DEMON!" Flames erupted in Mason's eyes and his face turned into the likeliness of a shark as he desperately jumped for the Exceed.

"Calm down Mason, it's just a cat!" Gray grumbled in his direction. The cat floated down and intentionally tickled his tail in Mason's face.

"He's pushing me and pushing me and I've had it! GET BACK HERE I'LL TEAR YOUR WINGS OFF YOUR PUNY BODY!"

"Pipe down! We're here." Lucy interrupted, pointing towards the looming station. Thin lines of steam came from Mason's ears and he gave the cat the "shifty eyes", but did nothing for ten seconds. After that he couldn't hold it in.

"I'm just saying. If we ever run out of food, I'm going all-out Japan on that feline." He narrowed his eyes and pointed harshly at the Exceed sitting on Natsu's shoulders that proceeded to stick his tongue out at him.

They finally boarded the train without any feline/human incidents, but they did run into another problem.

"You must be mistaken, we booked two, four person booths," Erza snapped at the train attendant.

"Sorry miss. The only part of the train left is the maintenance section, and that consists of only 3 seaters." She grabbed him by the collar and lifted him in the air.

"Are you sure about that!?" Erza growled, using her usual interrogation technique. The guard flailed his arms around desperately.

"If there was something I could do I would do it miss-"Erza dropped him on his head.

"I don't have time for this." She said simply, walking over to her seats. They all walked down the aisle in a single file line, Erza and Mason being the last in tow. The first three piled into the first booth, smiling at Erza's face.

"Somebody, out." She ordered, pointing at the empty booth in front of her.

"No can do Erza, I'm boxed in." Gray smiled wildly, he had the window seat. Everyone else refused to budge, mostly because they wanted to torture Mason with Erza's wrath.

She muttered something that included the word "juvenile" and reluctantly took the empty booth, which Mason helped her fill right after.

She instantly slammed the door to the booth shut, cutting them off to the isle and the rest of the train. Mason looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"I just want some quiet to think." She muttered. She scooted around until she was comfortably; she just looked out the window with an idle look on her face.

Mason's mind was buzzing. Should he start a conversation? Would she just shoot it down? Would it hurt or help her opinion of him?

"I'm sorry." Mason blurted out, successfully grabbing her attention.

"Pardon?" She asked, caught off guard

"I'm really sorry for before." Mason looked down with a look of guilt on his face. "I have a tendency to screw up bad impressions. When I met you, I was just going through some stuff and-"Erza raised a hand and silenced him. Her ever-present frown decorated her face. Mason had to stop himself from cringing, but he expected the worse.

To his surprise, her scowl lightened into a small smile.

"It's alright, everyone makes mistakes." She held out a gauntlet. "I also apologize; I never welcomed you to the guild."

Mason's entire body weighed about 600 less pounds when she smiled. He couldn't believe it.

"Err, thank you!" He took the hand and shook it furiously. He smiled again, but it slowly faded to a look of anxiety.

"I-I'm, gonna finish now. Erza, don't get the wrong idea, but can I tell you something? It's something you can't repeat." She frowned slightly, but nodded.

"You have my word as a member of Fairy Tail." She promised, putting a metal glove above her left breast.

"Great." He flashed a quick smile before returning to his old look.

"Erza, I don't know how to say this. Heck I don't know why I'm telling you. I did lose my memory, but only a small portion of it." She furrowed her eyebrows at him, but motioned for him to continue.

"I'm not from this world." His body felt even lighter, setting him at ease. "Gosh it felt good to say that. Anyway, I have a complete memory of my life in my world, but at one point it just cuts off and I wake up in Magnolia."

"Strange." Erza held her chin and thought. "I'll give you credit for the ruse, you fit in quite well with our kind if you ask me." Mason blushed lightly, not believing he was getting another compliment from _Erza_. "Can you tell me about your world?"

He could tell from her new position and the look on her face that she expected a long answer, so Mason sighed and gave her one.

"I live on a planet called Earth. There is no magic on Earth whatsoever; it only exists in works of fiction. Much of your technology that isn't magical seems very similar to technology we had a long time ago. I'm not much of a historian, but I would guess the Middle Ages, somewhere around a thousand years ago, roughly. There are 207 countries on Earth I believe. Our history is long, but our mind is in the wrong place. Governments are overusing resources and not worrying about having more of them replaced. We are constantly at war with each other over these resources, although many countries have banded together in an alliance, called the "United Nations". They believe in peace and unity and work on peacekeeping and relief missions. Overall, our main problems are overpopulation, our current population is about seven billion, and that we are too smart for own good, creating luxuries and shortcuts that have made us ignorant and lazy." Mason breathed heavily, catching his breath. "I apologize, I am ranting."

"No!" She waved away his self-accusation. "This is very interesting! Could you tell me about any of the technology?"

"Sur-"Mason caught himself, no. He had read enough time-travel books to know the dangers of screwing with history. What if he showed Erza how to make a flamethrower? And then she creates more, Fairy Tail becomes power hungry, and they take over Fiore? Okay, maybe that is a little far–fetched, but you get the point.

"That is dangerous information Erza..." He said ominously. He felt a sudden responsibility. He knew great secrets of the universe that these folks were eons away from scratching the surface of! He felt sudden pride; he could finally one-up these people with information from his world, although he would never use it to his advantage.

"How so?" Erza said, confused. He went a little overboard on the whole ominous thing and took on a deep, secretive tone.

"I know the secrets of my universe. My people are much ahead in technology and physics, the stuff you put magic ahead of. I could give you a formula that, when put together and ignited, creates a massive explosion, even if you only use enough to fill a thimble. If I released this information, it could interrupt the natural flow of time and space, potentially tearing your world apart."

Erza gasped, actually looked somewhat fearful. A differently look suddenly formed on her face, somewhere around watchfulness and grudging respect.

"I understand completely." She finally regained her composure and announced. Mason smiled. Good, she got it. "But the idea is as baffling as it is tempting! I want to hear more about your world! I want to visit it!"

Mason smiled and happily obliged. He told her everything, his old life, the wildlife in his home area, the crops they grew, what he did for fun, sports, recreation, culture, famous literature, she enjoyed it all. She especially loved ancient history about wars, which Mason enjoyed too. Since Fiore still used spears and shields, he was more than happy to oblige. Mason just loved seeing her smile, which she displayed proudly the entire time. It was so strange to him to talk about the simplest things to someone, but have them enjoy it so much.

"So, how did that battle go again? The ancient one in Europe."

"Thermopylae?" Mason was careful not to tell her Spartan techniques, but rather just the facts and history of what happened. "One of the Persian territories, Ionia, revolted and Greece supported it. Persia was infuriated and set off to invade them, and he tried. They landed their ships of the Plains of Marathon and were defeated by the soldiers of a single city, Athens. Their king, Xerxes, planned an amazing, second assault. We don't know the exact number, but most say he took 500,000 of his best men and stomped over Greece until an alliance consisting of the cities of Greece, led by the infamous Spartans, stood to stop them at the Pass of Thermopylae." She smiled broadly, reveling in every moment. Mason always had trouble finding someone to ramble on to on Earth; he had libraries of information up in his head from reading piles of books. Now he was more than happy to let it all out.

"King Leonidas of Sparta was a genius. He defended the pass with 300 of his best soldiers and about 7,000 more from the alliance for three weeks against odds of one to forty-two." He finished, not wanting to say any more or he would start saying how.

"Your world is fascinating!" Erza leaned on an arm and stared out the window, a look you could see on a young fangirl. She wasn't going lovey-dovey over vampires and werewolves, but rather bloody wars. "I would love to visit it someday."

"If I ever get the chance Erza, I'll take you there." Mason smiled at her, her face lit up to an unknown level.

"Would you really? That's amazing! T-thank you!" She exclaimed, flustered.

"Yeah! But the problem is, I don't know how." He rubbed the back of his neck and thought. "I just woke up here; I need to figure out what happened."

"Mason, I enjoyed our talk. Perhaps we could... discuss this at a later date?" She asked softly.

"Erza," He raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Are you asking me out?"

"Of course not!" She regained her previous demeanor and continued. "I simply enjoy learning new things about a fascinating world that has slipped our world's perception."

"Of course, but Erza?" he took on a serious face. "You seriously can't let a single moment of our talk slip. At all. Keep telling people I woke up with a clean slate of memory."

"Of course, you have my word." She nodded firmly, making Mason smile.

"Thanks Erza. I-I..." He trailed off, still intimidated by her, too much to speak his mind easily. "I hope we can become friends." He finally spat out, blushing heavily.

_Congratulations, you just outright asked a hot girl to be friends. You are officially lame. Lame doesn't even begin to describe-_

"I don't see why we can't." She smiled happily. From what he heard about Erza, she was usually pretty scary. He didn't know what made her open up around him like that, and smile so much.

_She is probably only talking to me to learn about Earth. If there was anyone else from Earth she would throw me away like yesterdays trash_. A pessimistic side of him chimed in, making his expression drop considerably. It had a point. _If she had the choice, she would never choose me._

"Get up, boy." Erza ordered in a mean voice, but smiling. "We are here." The train lurched to a stop.

"Aye-aye captain." Mason mock-saluted and stood up, opening the door. Natsu and Gray stood waiting for Mason to come out, eager to see how badly Erza had chewed him out. Their jaws dropped as both Erza and Mason walked out _smiling_.

"Could he have-?" Gray started.

"No, impossible. You think he has a charm spell on her?" Natsu added his own opinion.

"We will ask Erza, see if she cracks." Gray smiled and they both approached her.

"Soooo Erza!" Natsu began, walking up to her left. "How was the ride here?"'

"Peaceful." She answered cryptically.

"Talk about anything interesting?' Gray only asked because the walls proved too thick to hear through.

"What I speak about is my own business _Gray_," She growled, making him cower. "Control your curiosity." She walked away. They both landed eyes on Mason at the same time.

"And don't ask Mason!" she shot back.

"Awww." They both sweat-dropped and trudged along behind Erza.

"Charm spell." Natsu decided.

"Yup." Gray trudged along beside him.

"How are we supposed to move a wyvern?" Mason asked Gray as they continued to walk.

"We had a bit of a plan. Lucy could get one of her celestial things to grab on, and then another person could open a gate at the wizard's house."

"It would transport it instantly! Good idea!" Mason smiled.

"It was Lucy's." Gray pointed out modestly.

"So are we going to go look for a specific wyvern? Or... just sit down and wait for one to come to us." Natsu asked, quickly answered by Erza.

"It won't take long for us to run into one. In this country, wyverns are numerous. Don't know what possessed them to settle here." She muttered and shook her head.

"So we are going to flail our arms around until a man-eating lizard try's to eat us?" Natsu countered skeptically.

No words were needed to shut Natsu up, only a simple glance from Erza.

"Hey Lucy?" Mason walked a little behind everyone, making sure it would be hard for anyone to hear him, except Lucy of course.

"Yes?" She slowed down and ended up beside Mason.

"I'm sorry. You know, for..." He didn't say it, guessing if he did she would only get angry again.

"That's okay." Lucy smiled a little bit, she even almost blushed. "Now that I think about it, it was an accident. I acted to quickly, it was just wrong place, wrong time. Sorry about your nose."

"That was nothing." Mason smiled. No, it wasn't she had nearly broken it, but he wasn't about to mention that.

They walked through the surprisingly empty town. there was no one strolling the streets, it was eerie. Mason heard Erza mumble something.

"_Ursa... Key_." Without telling her, he slipped in closer, within earshot. "I'll have to transport it to Ogiton soon..."

"What's that Erza?" Mason asked, she nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Dammit! How much did you hear?" She snapped at him.

"All of it, why?" Mason shrugged and asked.

"Swear that you won't tell anyone in the world that. nobody!" She said, and he did.

"What is it anyway?" Mason inquired. Erza rubbed her temples, as if under stress.

"Just a celestial key, only Master and I know its location. we are moving it to a safe place."


	9. I Don't Like Shopping!

"Natsu, you need to work on your aim." Mason commented, searching for hair on his forearms but finding none.

"Maybe you just have lady arms." Gray snorted.

"Gray, shorts." Mason pointed out, not looking away from his limbs.

"Dammit! Not again!" He yelled, looking down. He quickly ran off to find some clothing.

"I'm gone. See ya Natsu, See ya Lucy." He smiled at the two mages who were behind him. He leaned out to see past Lucy, spotting Erza coming in. "Bye Erza."

"What's with you and Erza? I thought she hated you." Maryanna asked when he sat down.

"Me too." Mason smiled as he sat down.

"Where is Dante?"

"Gramps sent him on a mission just like you; I think he went with Shadow Gear."

He frowned, but didn't say anymore.

"-Synnova!" Mason perked his ears, he turned to see two female mages he didn't know standing right in front of Synnova, who was at a table all to herself.

"Who do you think she'll take to the big mission?" One girl, a brunette, asked the other. Mason frowned at them, they were standing right beside Synnova, why didn't they just ask her?

"She can't go, she has no friends to ask!" Her blonde friend answered, making both of them laugh. Synnova crossed her arms on the table and said nothing, sinking her forehead into them. Mason suddenly realized the situation in full, they were bullying her.

"Even if she did, no one would go with her!" The brunette added, earning a chorus of sick laughter.

"Mason, where are you going?" Maryanna grabbed his sleeve, but he shrugged her off.

"Who would want to be caught dead with that ugly-" The blonde said, but Mason didn't let her finish.

"Shut up!" He bellowed, using gravity to slam his palm down on a wooden table, earning a deafening boom. "Just shut up!"

"Excuse me?" the brunette sassed.

"You!" Mason pointed a finger at the blonde, "and you" he pointed at the brunette with his other hand. "sicken me! What do you hope to gain by bullying her? Making yourself feel better because of some slut-worthy daddy issues!? You know what?"

Mason placed a hand on Synovva's shoulder. "_I'd_ go to the dance with Synnova. Heck I'd be lucky if she said yes." Mason ended his speech, frowning at the two rude women. they scowled at him, but turned and left.

Synnova looked up at him with sad eyes. "Thanks Mason..."

"Can you believe them?" Mason shook his head, squatting down to her level while she sat down. "Don't believe what they say Synnova, they are all wrong."

"Thanks..."Synnova smiled her first smile Mason ever saw, at least that wasn't sarcastic.

Had Mason just stood up for her? She couldn't believe it, everyone had just turned a shoulder to people insulting her. But mason.. Mason had put them down and after that, made sure she was okay. She had never really had anyone care for her before... Mason would never _truly_ know what he had done.

He was her first friend.

000

Mason sat there, inspecting his sleeves.

"I really need new clothes."Mason muttered. His original tunic was scratched, scorched, frayed, stained, not to mention smelly.

"There's a great tailor on Elm." Lisanna smiled as she turned around at the next table, overhearing them.

"I've still got all the money from our last mission." Mason added.

"Eeeeeek!" Maryanna did her now-trademark excited squeal.

"Me too! I'll totally need to take you shopping!" Maryanna got up and grabbed him by the elbow, dragging him outside.

"But Maryanna, I don't like shopping!" He complained.

Maryanna turned and karate-chopped him on the top of his head. He went slack as she grabbed his collar and dragged him outside smugly.

000

"_This_ is why I despise shopping." Mason huffed. He was currently carrying over 50 pounds of bags, all of which were Maryanna's.

"Maryanna! I thought we were going to_ one _tailor!" He called out, trudging along behind her.

"We will! Just one more!" She assured, running into another store. Mason sweat-dropped and hunched over.

"That's what you said about the last twenty." He complained, sinking onto the bench outside of the shop.

"At least there are lots of girls." Mason smirked at the passing people, all of which were females. He loves the population ratio situation in Fiore. He always got glances from girls, most winked at him, even more smiled. He couldn't help himself, who else wouldn't love all that attention?

"Those bags wouldn't happen to be for a girlfriend?" A black-haired beauty inquired with a mischievous smirk.

"They wouldn't." He smiled back at her.

"May I?" she pointed at the bench.

_What the heck, Maryanna will be awhile anyway_.

"You may." She sat beside him, crossing her legs.

"You don't see many men around Magnolia, even less on the street." She smiled the same smile at him. "Even less are single."

"I guess that makes me special." He countered perfectly.

"Are you busy?" The girl placed a hand on his upper thigh. "We could go to- Oh!" Mason followed her surprised eye's to find Maryanna there.

"Mason! What about Mirajane?" Mason flushed red, partly anger, partly because he was blushing.

"You lied!" The girl got up and slapped Mason across the face. She then huffed and stomped away with surprising balance in her high heels.

"You suck." Mason looked up at his giggling friend.

"You have to save yourself for your true love!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him up from the bench.

"Please stop saying that, it's getting old." Mason pleaded, although she didn't respond to that.

His last complaint echoed through his mind, Mason realize he sounded like a cry-baby, so he quickly broke the silence.

"Who needs weights? Shopping is a bigger workout than anything I can think of." Mason joked, pretending to be strained as he raised his bag-clad arms.

"You'll be jacked in no time!" She commented, but was quickly distracted. "This is it! This is the tailor." She announced, going inside. Mason sighed in relief and followed her.

"Ahh!" They were acknowledged by a middle aged, bald man with a wispy mustache. "It has been a long time Maryanna! What can I be getting you today?"

"Nothing for me today Torrik! My friend needs some new outfits!" She stepped aside, revealing Mason.

"Ahh, nice to meet you!" He introduced himself and Mason followed suit. "What can I get for you?"

Mason was caught off guard. What did he want? He didn't know how often people here did laundry, how many would he need? What kind of clothes did he want?

"Um, three more of what I have. Tunic and breeches" He said simply. If he needed more, he could always come back.

To his surprise, Maryanna walked up and whispered something in the tailor's ear. The tailor simply nodded and led Mason to the fitting room.

The tailor got to work quickly. He grabbed a piece of measuring tape and took a thousand random measurements, some of them Mason couldn't help but wonder at their relevance. He started cutting lengths of cloth and fitting them around his legs and chest. After about an hour of high-paced measurements, the tailor announced they would be ready in a week and shooed him out so he could get to work.

"That's the strangest thing I've seen in a while..." Mason muttered. Being fitted for every piece of clothing was a little stranger than grabbing the completed version at a store.

"Oh!" Maryanna turned to him suddenly. "I just about forgot, I found another mission for us!"

"Oh?" Mason inquired, interested. They set off for the guild as she explained it to him.

"Yup! The Mayor of Oak Town is holding a ball in a week and a half, but there has been a plot from a dark guild to attack the Mayor at the ball. He has posted a 50,000 Jewel pay to any mage that will come as extra security."

"Wait," Mason looked fearful. "Don't you think this is a big step? I mean, this is an entire Dark Guild we are talking about."

"Don't worry!" she waved off his complaint. "It's not just us going silly! A bunch of Fairy Tail wizards are going!"

"Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Erza, Lisanna, Elfman, if we go then Dante, You and me." She counted off on her fingers. "Plus all his security that is already there, we'll be fine!"

"But..." She trialed off, a mischievous smirk growing on her face.

"Maryanna..." Mason warned slowly, stretching out her name.

"Maaasooonn..." She countered, and then continued. "He has ordered for the Mages to go in disguise. If the dark guild thinks they don't have much security, they won't attack with as many men."

"Are you kidding me?" Mason asked, catching where she was going.

"Nope." She giggled evilly. "It's a ball Mason; you are going to need a date."

"Maryanna, go with me." He asked quickly, only making her laugh more.

"Dante already asked me. Do the math, there's a boy for every girl that is going, except for you."

Mason thought. _Lucy and Erza would probably choose between Gray and Lucy, Elfman is going with one of his sister's, Dante with Maryanna, shit!_

"Sooo?" Maryanna cooed, nudging him.

"What?" Mason asked, oblivious.

"God you're dense. Ask Mirajane!" Mason met her eyes sternly.

"No! No!"

"Who else are you going to ask? Cana?"

Mason actually considered it, but threw the idea away when he pictured her drinking from a keg while everyone else sipped punch from a wine glass. She would stand out too much.

"Elfman would kick my ass!" Mason complained, back to the subject of Mirajane.

"Probably." She snorted.

"How do you think that makes me look? The brand new guy asking the hottest girl in the guild to go with him to a ball."

"You had better ask her." Maryanna smirked, ignoring him.

"Speaking of Mirajane, you told Natsu I liked her!" He pointed at her accusingly.

"I didn't just tell Natsu, I told everyone."

"MARYANNA I SWEAR YOU'RE GOING IN THAT RIVER RIGHT NOW!" Mason threatened, picking her up and holding her over his head.

"Ribbon Magic!" She called out, her ribbon lengthening and wrapping around Mason's ankle, tripping him.

"You should be thanking me," She stated, shortening her ribbon again and tying it in her hair. "If you're lucky the word has reached her and you don't have to tell her yourself."

"Waaah!" Mason cried, laying stomach-down on the marble sidewalk, beating it with his fists and feet. "Why does everyone hate me!?"

"You're the worst at secrets! And you make up fake ones too!" Mason complained.

"Dante assured me you were just in love struck-denial." She defended, clicking away on her phone.

000

"Go. Now." Maryanna pointed inside the guild.

"No!" Mason sat down and crossed his arms.

"You have to! It's your job!"

"Everyone's gonna look at me! You told them I liked Mirajane!" Mason whined, sounding like a toddler.

"They will not."

"Elfman is gonna kick my ass!"

"Probably." Maryanna snorted again.

"I'm not gonna and you can't make me!" Mason stuck out his lower lip and crossed his arms.

"Mira will be there..." She chided with a smile.

"That's why I don't want to go inside!"

"Oh yeah..." Maryanna realized. She sat down beside him and placed her fingers against her cheek in thought.

"I heard it is Bikini Thursday..." Maryanna attempted.

"As awesome as that would be, I'm not falling for it again."

"Damnit..." Maryanna sighed.

A smile formed across her face suddenly, she had an idea.

000

"Mmf! Mrgrmph!" Mason tried to talk through his gag, but to no avail. Maryanna was dragging him into the guild on his butt, his hands tied behind his back and his mouth gagged.

Everyone in the guild saw it loud and clear, which made them point and laugh.

_I hate you Maryanna_.

"Looks like someone got on the bad side of Maryanna." Lucy giggled as he was dragged past her table, his gag didn't hide his blush.

Finally, they reached Team Unicorns Are Mystical's usual table, which now included a Dante who was about to cough up a lung he was laughing so hard.

Finally, Maryanna took off his gag.

"*GASP* Maryanna! I- wait-wait, what are you doing?" he watched as she placed him on the chair and proceeded to tie him to it.

"I don't see why this is necessary!" Mason exclaimed.

"To make sure you won't leave the guild, silly!" Maryanna said, as if it was obvious.

"Guys! Spot whining for a second and listen." Dante reached his hand under the table and pulled up a small monkey. "Happy better watch his back, meet Keith."

Both people at the table stared at the cute Squirrel Monkey in front of him.

"Keith is literally the ugliest name ever." Mason finally said.

"You are terrible at naming monkeys." Maryanna added.

"Oh c'mon! Cut me some slack, I've never had a monkey before." Dante defended. The monkey climbed up his arm and sat on his head, plying with his hair.

"You should be charged with animal cruelty for the suffering you are putting him through by naming him Keith."

"Shut up!"

"I'm making a citizen's arrest for assaulting this monkey's dignity by naming him Keith." Maryanna moved her hand funny and her ribbon appeared in a threatening pose. Dante crossed his arms and leaned against the table, pouting while Mason burst out laughing.

"Can we call him Toby?" Mason smiled, but then realized they didn't get the joke. Toby Keith was his favorite country artist.

"Toby is a good name!" Maryanna agreed.

"How about it, Toby?" Mason did his best to gesture while tied to a chair. The monkey hobbled along the table and climbed onto his shoulder, fishing through his hair.

"Aww! He is so cute!" Mirajane dropped her tray on the table and squatted to get to the monkey's level.

Mason smiled, cute pets always worked well with girls.

"His name is Toby." Mason explained.

"C'mere Toby!" Mirajane wrapped her arms around him and snuggled it motherly, or she tried. Her large, and distracting on that note, breasts nearly suffocated the poor monkey.

"Where did you get a monkey?" Maryanna asked him skeptically.

"Oh, so you _do _know it's my monkey? Then you should stop hogging him." Dante huffed and looked the other way.

"ANSWER THE QUESTION!" Maryanna got up and screamed, her hands at her sides.

"Alright! Alright! I bought him from a traveling wizard on my mission with Shadow Gear."

"I was supposed to go on that." Mason pointed out smiling,"But I got to go with Team Natsu."

"Stop rubbing it in, it wasn't that bad."

"That monkey is our new team mascot; it's staying at our place."Mason decided. Dante sunk lower in his chair, mad that his monkey was becoming their monkey.

"Here you go!" Mirajane reluctantly gave the monkey back to its owner. She turned to leave, but was interrupted by a loud cough.

Maryanna pointed at Mirajane furiously, but covered it with her other hand.

Mason shook his head hurriedly.

Maryanna nodded her head furiously.

Mason mouthed, _"Not gonna ask!"_

"_Ask her!"_ Maryanna's eyes turned red and she slammed her hands down on the table.

"Mirajane!" Mason squeaked, then face palmed. (or would have, he was still tied) Of all times, his voice needed to crack now?

"Yes, Mason? How can I help you?" She turned to him, smiling.

_God those eyes. Her huge, blue, stunning eyes. Her small smile, the way she-_. He blinked himself out of his daze and cleared his throat.

"Mira, would you mind..." Mason looked down, his cheeks turning pink rapidly. "Going on the big mission? With... me? I kind of need a partner."

"The Mayor's ball?' She asked. Mason nodded his head quickly. "Of course! It sounds like fun!"

Dante and Maryanna both cheered, overly loud in Mason's opinion.

"Uh, thanks!" Mason spat out quickly. He sighed in relief as she walked away.

"Smooth." Dante commented once she was out of earshot, taking a draught form his mug.

Mason didn't even complain, he smirked smugly and leaned back in his chair. He had just gotten a hot, "ample", 19 year old girl to go to a dance with him. What was there to be mad about? Even Dante couldn't hamper his mood right now.


	10. Ragnarok Pt 1

"Oh god, this is horrid." Mason held his arms at his sides, inspecting his full outfit. "I look like I'm about to... I don't know, it's just stupid." Mason muttered, turning around to face Dante. He wore a grey tuxedo with black trim, along with a white shirt and matching tie.

"Your right. You folded it all wrong." Dante approached him and pulled the handkerchief-thing from his breast pocket and carefully folded it.

"Of all people, _you're_ a fashion junkie." Mason muttered, snatching it from his hands and stuffing it in his pocket,

"You're hopeless. If you insist on looking like that, we may as well go." Dante spat accusingly, whirling around and heading outside.

"If I didn't know you I would swear you're gay!" Mason chuckled, following his friend outside. The air was still warm, being just after summer. Oak Town was about a two-hour train drive, so they would be there early to consult with the mayor.

"Everyone's already here?" Mason asked, seeing the people outside from a way's away.

"Not quite, the girls are fashionably late." Dante pointed out. Happy, Gray, Natsu and Elfman were already outside; none of their date's being there yet.

Mason gulped, almost feeling Elman's gaze on him. To be safe, he took his place to the right of Gray, as far away as possible.

He knew it was a bad idea to ask Elfman's sister, the guy was downright scary. Huge muscles were barely contained behind a navy-blue tuxedo.

"Chill," (unintended) Gray said under his breath, loud enough for only Mason to hear. "I know what you're thinking, he wouldn't try anything here."

Meeting Elfman's glare for a split second put all his doubt back in his mind.

"Hope we aren't late." Erza said smugly to everyone's left. Mason looked, and it was hard to look away. She wore a sparkling, sky blue dress; it hugged every inch of her body. Her features popped out of the fabric, even the emotionally-challenged Gray drooled.

Mason wouldn't have given her so much credit if he would have seen his date first.

Mirajane smiled as she strutted towards him, knowing everyone was watching. She wore a sleek gray dress, matching Mason's outfit perfectly. The material was soft and glossy, with matching high-heels. The only reason Mason knew it was a Mermaid-style dress was because of all the "Say Yes to the Dress" his Mom used to watch... at least he hoped. He forcibly ripped his gaze off her even-larger cleavage, which was pretty much reaching out and grabbing his eyes, because Elfman was beside him.

"You look great." Mason said with a smile as she stopped in front of him.

"Thanks!" Mirajane smiled modestly. "You're not so bad yourself!"

"Listen here!" Mason was abruptly ripped off the ground by the scruff of his neck, like a kitten. Elfman turned him so that he looked him in the eyes.

"My sister is NOT a poster for you to stare at. You only look at her FAC E, your hands stay on her BACK, and you treat her with RESPECT or I swear I will use your mop of a hairdo to ring the church bell! "

"Yessir." Mason squeaked quickly.

"Elfman!" Lisanna put her hands on her navy dress and looked up at him. "He hasn't done anything wrong, put him down!"

Elfman only grunted, dropping him on his head. Mason scorpioned, sweat dropping on the marble sidewalk.

"I'm sorry!" Mirajane levelled his body out again and helped him to his feet. "He isn't usually that bad, I swear."

Although he felt like his spine was used as a pole-vault for a sumo-wrestler, Mason managed a smile.

"Let's go." He said simply. Before stretching his now sore back quickly, he followed everyone to the train station.

He couldn't take his eyes off Mirajane, even if he listened to Elfman and only looked at her face. She had done her hair beautifully; it fell on her shoulder in soft curls, shimmering in the dimming light. Her skin was a perfect shade, matching her slim, black eyebrows and glimmering blue eyes perfectly.

"Although I appreciate where your eyes _aren't_ focused, you're making me uncomfortable." Mirajane said as politely as she could.

"Sorry!" Mason blurted out quickly, looking away. "It's just, you look really nice. You probably put alot of work into it."

_Why? Why why why did I just say that! I made it sound like she's usually ugly!_

"Not that-err- you aren't- I'm sorry." Mason blurted out, saying the last part in defeat.

"You are cute when you're nervous." Mirajane said, giggling at his new shade of tomato.

"Train station!" Natsu announced, hooking Lucy's arm and walking in ceremoniously. They both wore sparkling red outfits.

"Save it for the dance sparky." Lucy retorted, pulling away.

"Ooo! Shut down!" Gray cupped his hands around his mouth and cooed, earning a slap on the back of his head.

"You may as well not start; we won't have ANY of that on the mission." Erza ordered firmly.

They all slipped into the train as quickly as possible, not wanting to draw any extra attention to themselves that they didn't need. For the occasion, Mirajane had rented a special train car, no booths or stalls, just a bunch of seats facing each other.

"Just because it's a mission, doesn't mean it can't also be a dance." She had explained with an eager tone. Mason gulped; he still wanted to think of this as a mission. It helped his nerves slightly, if he went to an actual dance with Mirajane he might just explode in a firework of nerves.

The train car was surprisingly quiet, although everyone's mind was buzzing with thoughts.

_Why did Natsu bring snacks? I swear; I can't be seen in public with him. _

_TUNA!_

_I wonder if I could pretend to have to sneeze, but actually be staring at Lucy in a squint._

_He's staring at her chest! Wait, no. He might be looking at the floor._

_Sweet baby Jesus these corn dogs taste heavenly._

_SALMON!_

_Blackjack or poker. Damnit it is so hard to decide._

_Aha! He's looking at her chest! Wait, false alarm. He's checking his watch._

_Would anyone care if I froze Dante? He's staring at me funny._

_Yay, a dance! I wonder if Mason is a good dancer..._

_The Dark Guild Ragnarok... all the library had on it was that they were known for their strong mages, despite being an illegal Dark Guild. What would be the best way to gain the upper hand? _

_MARLIN!_

_HE'S STARING AT MY SIST- Wait, not this time either. He is just looking at Dante beside her._

"Write it down. For the first time in history, Fairy Tail has nothing to say." Gray broke the ice.

"By the way Maryanna, I don't dance." Dante pointed out casually.

"WHAT!?" She bellowed, grabbing him by the shirt.

"I-I don't like to dance" He stuttered out.

"You WILL dance with me or I swear Dante Atene I will-"

"HELLO MY BABY! HELLO MY HONEY! HELLO MY RAGTIME GAL!" Dante sputtered out the first dancing tune he thought of and pattered his feet around, showing that he now loved dancing.

"Good." Maryanna smiled smugly and placed him back in his seat.

"We are here!" Lucy announced, breaking the awkward silence that ensued soon after. Everyone eagerly got out of the train and walked over to the Mayor's house, which was close by.

"Ah! It's great to see more guests!" The Mayor walked out of the front door, greeting them personally.

"Hello sir. These are the mages you requested." Erza answered officially. Surprisingly, he frowned.

"No, you are my _guests_." He insisted through clenched teeth. For a short, aging man, he said it with surprising authority. "You are here to enjoy yourselves." Ezra quickly realized what he was implying and nodded, leading everyone inside.

The ballroom was quite impressive. An impossibly large chandelier hung from a vaulted ceiling, so tall a wyvern could nearly stand up. Magic lamps littered the room, all of them floating at a level of about 15 feet. They illuminated the room even more, making it as bright as full daylight. Tapestry's and painting's decorated the walls, some of them were too impressive for you not to stop and stare. Tables were found at the edges of the room, serving food and drink. Hundreds of people flooded the room, dancing, eating and mingling.

"Shouldn't we hook arms?" Lucy suggested to Natsu, who eagerly took her arm and led her into the middle of the room.

"Dante." Maryanna snapped, taking him out of his daze. She sighed and locked arms with him, dragging him inside.

"Mason?" Mirajane stuck her elbow out with a smile. Mason gulped and nervously hooked her smooth elbow, walking inside with her.

While her skin was soft and smooth, his was clammy and sweaty from his current timid mindset.

"So, are we gonna- or, we can do whatever you-"Mason sputtered out.

"Let's dance." Mirajane smiled sympathetically and unhooked, placing her arms in the proper position. Mason smiled, thankful for the help she was giving. He didn't say anything, for fear or screwing up, and simply took her hand. She placed a soft hand on his shoulder and he modestly held his against her mid-back.

It was an upbeat tune; Mason easily stayed in rhythm and led a smooth two-step. He even decided to add a small between steps, complicating the dance. On top of that, he tapped his heel and toe rapidly before every step.

"Wow Mason, you must be very musical. I can barely keep up." Mirajane muttered, watching his feet. Compared to him, she looked like she didn't have ankles, stumbling around the dance floor like she was.

"I've never played an instrument." Mason admitted, shrugging his shoulders modestly.

"This worries me," Mason muttered quietly. "There's too many people here, how are we supposed to-"

"Shhh." Mirajane shushed him, placing a slim finger on his lips. "That will come when it comes, why can't we enjoy ourselves first?"

Mason gulped in his continued nervous state and continued to dance.

"Mirajane..." He started softly, earning her gaze. "Thanks for saying yes. I feel more comfortable around you than any other girls"

"It was nothing! I'm glad you asked!" Mirajane smiled at him before looking away.

If Mason heard her right... did she just-? No, he misheard her.

In the end, Mason was quite proud of himself. He didn't step on Mira's toes once.

After about 5 more song's filled with dancing, Mason had to excuse himself to get something to drink. He was far away from the band, so he could barely hear the music.

"If they only saw dancing on Earth..." Mason muttered, bordering inaudible. "This music is nothing."

He turned and poured himself a drink. He gulped in down eagerly and tried to pick out all of the mages in disguise while humming a song he remembered from Earth.

First thing he saw were the guards. Four fully armed guards at each doorway, with many along the walls. The mayor was followed by two rather large soldiers.

"_We got too many gangsters doing, dirty deeds." _

Natsu was devouring the buffet table while Lucy stood impatiently nearby.

"_Too much corruption and crime in the streets._"

Dante danced while sweating even worse than Mason, worrying if he stepped on a toe Maryanna might make him lose one.

"_It's time the long arm of the law put a few more in the ground."_

Lisanna looked annoyed as Lucy; Elfman trailed the mayor while dancing. Two-stepping in his wake all night doesn't do the best job of staying in disguise.

"_Send 'em all to their maker and he'll-"_

"Interesting song, can't say I've heard it before."

"Erza!" Mason exclaimed in surprise, although managing to keep it under his breath.

"I'd suggest keeping your Earth music to yourself." She frowned at him.

"Yeah, of course." Mason shook his head, but then took on a smile. "It's not my fault all you listen to is funeral music."

"Music isn't played at funerals." Erza raised an eyebrow at him in confusion, making Mason laugh.

"It's an expression."

"Your world is so strange." Erza shook her head at him. Suddenly, a scream was heard from across the dance floor.

"What was that!?" Mason raised his fists to defend himself instinctively, scanning the crowd.

"KARAOKE!"

"False alarm, only Mirajane." Erza turned away from him and walked away. He followed the charging form of Mirajane to a large silver machine.

"Mason!" She grabbed his shoulders and looked at him in disbelief. "They have karaoke!"

"Yes they do." Mason smiled at her. She let him go and snatched the microphone from the machine. She quickly found a song and cleared her throat to start singing.

"_Small town homecoming queen  
She's the star in this scene  
There's no way to deny she's lovely  
Perfect skin, perfect hair  
Perfumed hearts everywhere-_"

"SHUT IT OFF! SHUT IT OFF!" Someone screamed. All of the guests covered their ears at the screeching noise that was Mirajane's singing voice. It sounded like cats fighting, fingernails down a chalkboard and screeching owl all in one noise.

"Um Mira... maybe we should let someone else try?" Mason grabbed the microphone and lowered it, trying to sound polite.

"That was horrible!"

"My ears are bleeding!"

"Mirajane..." Happy hovered over other. "That... was... beautiful! I loved it! It was heavenly!" He dipped, circled and cried in joy.

"Listen here." Mason grabbed him by the tail and pulled him down. "Lay off buddy."

The lights suddenly flickered, slicing through the noise of the ballroom instantly. Everyone looked around, as if they could spot what was doing it.

"You think-?" Mason asked.

"Yup. It's about time Ragnarok joined the party." Mirajane smiled an evil grin that was contrast to her usual complexion.


	11. Ragnarok Pt 2

Mason soon became lost in the fighting. In the huge blend of friend and foe, he carefully picked his attacks.

"These Fairies are easier to squash than I thought!" Mason turned, only to barely side-step an axe chop.

"You talk better than you aim!" Mason smirked, using gravity magic and back-flipping out of his range, a horizontal chop hit a wooden chair.

The grizzly man was bald, with thick stubble covering his chin. Thick hair sprouted from his collar and along his arms, he held a large two-handed axe.

"At least I do more than run!" He grabbed it both hands and ripped it in two, surprisingly coming out with two smaller axes. Apparently they were alot lighter, because he pounced at Mason, twirling them around him in a deadly whirlwind.

"What?"Mason crossed his arm's in an "X", catching the blunt end of each axe in the cross in front of his face.

"No magic?" Mason did a gravity-assisted boot to his jaw, making a sickly noise.

Where was everyone? It had been one opponent after another in the fray; he hadn't seen a single protagonist in the jumble.

Mason stomped his foot in confusion. "Is there any magicians in Rag-"

A shadow morphed into the likeliness of a hammer sent Mason across the room.

"I spoke to soon." Mason muttered, peeling himself off of the wall into a pile.

He looked around the room, not seeing his assailant. He did see Erza though. She was in fancy white armour and wielded a long white spear. She danced around the room in a deadly array of moves, not wasting a single second to strike at a Ragnarok mage. He felt like calling out, since he felt safer by her side, but he didn't want to distract her.

"Mason!" Mason caught the tone as a warning and dived forward underneath a celestial spirit, Cancer if he remembered right. He was a tan, well-trimmed man, his only visible weapons being two long pairs of scissors. He moved too fast to see, hitting every Ragnarok mage in a radius of about 10 feet.

"Thanks Lucy!" Mason shot up and gave her thumbs up, moments before he lost her again in the fray.

It was amazing the amount of awareness you needed to stay alive. Before his first real fight, Mason had thought he had a good enough idea of it. He had trained hard, but nothing could have prepared him for the real thing.

Soldiers grappled with Ragnarok members everywhere. They weren't working as a unit, they had become distant and scattered, moving from large-scale battles to individual combat. Axes and arrows flew by him at random times, wayward swords and spears shot out from the crowd, that's not even beginning on the magic.

Huge explosions rocked the ballroom, plumes of flame and shadow flared to life across the room, spirits of every shape and size raced across the room.

"Natsu." Mason breathed, spotting him in the fray. A pillar of flame encircled him; he could barely see his friend in the huge flame.

Natsu bellowed a cry, sending the flame out, scorching a number of people. Of course, he didn't notice the man running at him from behind.

"Natsu!" He cried, running at him. When he didn't turn, he gravity-lunged the man and managed to knock him down.

"You little-!" Mason stopped himself when he saw the man. "Elfman?"

"Get off me, runt!" Elfman threw him off of him.

"Why were you running at Natsu?" He asked in confusion.

"To help him! Now stay out of my way!" Elfman grabbed him by the forehead and hurled him across the room.

Mason grumbled and got up, cursing Elfman. He wanted nothing more than to take him down, but he knew better than that. Elfman would surely kick his butt before he could accomplish anything.

"Mason!" A hand grabbed him and pulled him to his feet. There's not a single set of multi-colored eye's Mason wanted to meet more than the ones he did, Dante's.

"Why did they attack with so many?" Mason inquired, raising his fists and readying himself.

"There's more than enough to take over the guards." Dante added. He looked quite intimidating, Fifty-four cards hovered around him in a dome, each encircled in their own blue flame. Whenever a weapon was swung at him, they automatically collected their and blocked it.

"It's almost as if we knew wizards would be here." A confident voice stated. A tall, slim figure melted from the crowd. He wore a black suit, with two long tails trailing from behind and a perfectly-tied black tie. A perfect comb over pushed his long black hair across his head, a clean-shaven face below it. Inwardly, Dante admired his style.

"Impossible!" Mason spat at the man. He simply smiled and inspected his perfect, clean fingernails.

"Fairy Tail isn't as loyal as you might think." He said with satisfaction, smirking at the boys reactions.

"No way! A Fairy Tail member would never betray the guild!" Dante insisted, gripping his fist tightly.

"You look a little out of place." Mason frowned at him. "What are you doing with these criminals?"

"My motives are my own, boy." He spat, looking up from his hand momentarily.

"Enough talking!" Dante bellowed, his cards stopped moving and all faced him. "Let's get him!"

Mason nodded in agreement, lowering the gravity around him.

Exhilaration ran through Mason's veins, readying the muscles it found. A familiar lightness overcame him; he was instantly filled with energy. His core thrummed with excitement, sending blood to all his extremities. His fingers curled and flexed, readying themselves. His lungs felt no strain as his breathing quickened, adding to his animation.

"Fairy Tail!" Dante emitted a battle cry, sending a fleet of flaming cards at him. Mason charged at his, fists glowing with gravity.

"You're attempts are amusing at the most." He put a hand in his pocket and casually caught Mason's hand, negating the magic around it.

"What?!" Mason said, bewildered. His body hit the ground solidly as he was back at his normal weight, although he still held onto his fist.

"Remember my name, as it will be the last thing you hear." He smiled, his own hand now glowing. Mason's fist reverberated with the power he was using.

"Sebastian." He muttered, opening his hand and emitting a brilliant beam of light that hit Mason squarely in the chest. He turned towards the oncoming cards and raised both of his hands, a thin sheet of light shot out form his fingertips and sliced all of them in half.

Mason sputtered out a cough, followed by a long wheeze. That _really_ hurt. Small scraping noises were heard as he helped himself to his feet.

"Impressive. You got up after my weakest spell." Sebastian raised a single hand, preparing to snap his fingers. "Now it's your friends turn."

_Snap._

A series of small explosions set off around him wracked Dante's body in strange directions. They made loud cracking noises as they exploded, sounding like a machine gun when put together. He fell to one knee in obvious pain.

Rage flared inside Mason's chest, like a flame put to gasoline. He had hurt Dante, and was about to feel some serious pain.

"You BITCH!" Mason cupped his hands together and tilted his top hand, making a 90° angle. A small green orb hovered inside his hand. It suddenly flared and emitted a concentrated beam at Sebastian.

"You continue to surprise me." Sebastian raised his palm; the beam hit the middle of it and stopped in a small puddle of light. "You're wasting your abilities; I'll give you one chance to turn."

"Are you trying to recruit me!?" Mason bellowed. He let out small, forced laugh. "You think I'm that fickle? That hurts my feelings!"

"You would blindly continue to fight me? Surely you realize- Oh, here you come." Sebastian said, almost with disappointment. Still only using one hand, He grabbed Mason's flung fist and twisted it, spurring a cry of pain from Mason.

"If you will not turn, I will end you." Sebastian explained in a simple tone. He turned to Mason and raised his pocketed hand, a single finger glowing not unlike E.T. He raised it to press against Mason forehead a split second before a blue, flaming arrow consisting of only playing cards struck his forehead.

"YOU DIDN'T FOLD YOUR HANKIE!" Dante screamed. Grabbing the front of his tuxedo and shaking him, making the unfolded pocket hankie flutter.

"What the-?" Sebastian exclaimed, surprised that such a simple thing worried him so much. Dante picked him up, only then did Mason see the that had appeared on the back of both his hands.

_He had used spades as shields, diamonds for attack, and now clubs for strength._ _What is hearts?_ He wondered.

Dante's now large muscles hurled Sebastian across the room. When he made to run after him, Mason grabbed his shoulders and held him back.

"He's out of our league, let Natsu or Erza handle him." He advised, calming Dante down slightly. A sword-swinging woman interrupted them; Mason and Dante turned, eager for a weaker target.

Mason fell to the ground, landing on his hand. He swung his legs in a sweep-kick, knocking the woman off-balance. Dante wound up and hammered his fist into the girl's stomach, sending her tumbling across the floor.

It seemed that the dark mages never ceased, even Fairy Tail didn't have this many people.

_They only have weapons, they might not be mages_. Mason pointed out to himself.

He quickly learned how to deal with them. He would use gravity to quickly kick or punch them, preferably to the head. That would stun them, the best he could do at his skill level. Dante, with his strength spell, would happily send them flying across the room.

He looked beside him to find Dante gone, disappeared in the endless fighting. HE didn't dare stop, his body continued its endless chorus of combat. He soon found himself assisting Gray, taking down soldiers that were approaching his back. Before he knew it he was gone, slipped into the huge ocean that was one, huge battle royal. At one point he found himself alongside Lucy, celestial spirits surrounding them, her whip flailing. She soon also disappeared, and for a while he was alone, watching his own back. He felt the first effects of fatigue slipping through his adrenaline, fending for himself sued more energy than with a partner. After awhile, his back found Erza's. They stood together, facing a small circle of mages. She did not acknowledge him at all, simply rushing back into the fight.

Mason could feel his mage waning more now. He had tried to conserve it all he could, but his limbs started to weigh more, his spell completely wore off. He had to make an effort to keep his eyes open, every move started to take more and more of him. Just when he thought he wouldn't be able to fight anymore and they would overtake him, he saw a horrid sight.

A huge female demon lifted itself out of the fray, using the wings on its back to hover above the battlefield.

It had dark eyes, barely visible behind overly-large eyelashes. Strange zigzag patterns decorated her right eyes, right breast and on the things bare thighs. It wore a dark, skimpy one-piece suit, revealing much of its arms and legs. It exposed most of her belly and a huge, wide cleavage. Long, white hair spiked upwards, fitted below them were long, pointed ears.

It smiled, revealing sharp canine teeth and lips covered in what he guessed to be dark lipstick. Its forearms and hands were covered in scales and each sprouted a fin-like protrusion on its outer side. Finally, a large, stocky tail seemingly made of metal plates or scales sprouted out of its rear.

Its eyes landed on Mason and the demon frowned. Mason's eyes widened and his breathing caught in his throat. It dived at him, claws outstretched.

Mason cried out in panic, turning and running. He tripped on a strewn shield, tripping. Accepting defeat, he held his head in his hands and clenched his teeth, waiting for his end.

It never came.

He opened one eye a crack, seeing the demon furiously fighting five mages that would have been behind him.

_Why is it fighting its own mages? Unless, it could be a mage. But, he knew everyone's magic. Everyone except... no. _

"Mira!?" He said aloud, the demon turned to him and smirked.

_MIRAJANE IS A DEMON IN DISGUISE! _Wait... She saved him. She must have _some _control.

The dance turned out to be a violent battle that he's stuck in, he lost track of all of his friends, he was hopelessly outnumbered, and now his date is a demon. Did life want to lay anything else on him tonight?

He struggled to his feet, not knowing what to do. He wanted to help Mirajane, but he didn't know how much control she had and he didn't want to get skewered by a stray claw. His eyes widened as he saw Sebastian calmly approach Mirajane.

"Mira, watch out! He is a light mage!" He frantically pointed at Sebastian, who only waved at him in a friendly manner. Mirajane/scary demon turned to him, only to get a radiant beam of light catch her across the jaw.

"Mira!" He ran to her position, using a shred of magic to speed himself up. He wasn't quick enough to stop them from restraining her. Sebastian placed a glowing hand on her forehead, emitting a shrill cry of pain from Mirajane, who slowly morphed into her human form.

"MIRA!" Mason lunged in the air, twisting and placing his feet on the first man's shoulders. He bent his back and placed his hands on the floor, swinging the man he had grabbed into his partner. He revolved back onto his feet and threw out his hands sideways along with a generous dose of gravity. Two more mages were hurled backwards, crashing into their allies.

"Mira," he muttered. He leaned down and lifted her head off of the polished floor. She was breathing normally and had a steady heartbeat, which was good. She was essentially fine, just knocked out or passed out.

"How romantic, but don't you think a white knight complex is a little old fashioned?" The last voice Mason wanted to hear met his ears.

He would have rose to meet his eyes, but to be honest he couldn't. He was too weak to stand on his own.

"Sebastian, leave me be." He breathed, trying not to beg. "I can barely stand, you've won. You're superior, happy? I pose no threat."

His only answer was grabbing his by the back on his tuxedo and holding his face inches from his.

"Do the words 'Ursa Major' mean anything to you?" He asked.

_I overheard Erza talking about that key. Why would-_

"Excellent." Sebastian smiled broadly.

_What!?_

Mason's eye's widened as he realized the situation. They wanted the key, he had read his face. He wants the location of the key from him.

"I don't-!" He attempted to scream, but was cut off with a knock to the head, turning everything black.


	12. Ragnarok Pt 3

**Alright everyone, this is the last of the 6 chapters I posted today. XD**

Mason coughed himself awake. He sputtered several small coughs together, causing his chest to hurt. He cracked his eyes open slightly, finding himself in an unfamiliar place.

"I hate rediscovering my surrounding." He muttered, shuffling slightly. He was sitting down and leaning against a wall. He slowly ran his hand along the floor.

"Basic stone. Weathered, feels old." He muttered. He opened his eyes fully and his heart dropped.

He was behind bars in a prison cell.

He rushed to his feet and grabbed the bars, shaking them furiously.

"Dante! Natsu! Erza! Shit, where am I!" He shook the bars, although he knew they wouldn't give in.

"Quiet down, will you? The guards won't feed us if we cause a commotion." A familiar voice said. He whirled to his left, the source of the voice, to find an unfamiliar person.

His heart dropped again. Whoever it was, they sounded almost exactly like Dante, they even spoke the same way as him.

He was in a cell across form Mason, one down. He was cross-legged and wore only pants made out of a poor material, like a potato sack. He had shaggy, long brown hair that was nearly at his nipples.

"Natsu, Erza... Hmm." He lifted a hand from his knees and scratched his chin. "Those are some pretty important people you're calling out for. Would you happen to be part of Fairy Tail?"

"Yes, I am, not that it matters."Mason said, lowering his voice to a mutter by the end of the sentence. He slid down the bars and slumped down onto his knees.

"What is a Fairy Tail mage doing here?" The man turned towards him and shuffled towards him, interested. Mason couldn't blame him; they seemed to be the only ones here. He didn't know how long he had been here, but it must have been pretty lonely.

"They think I know where a magical item is, but I don't." Mason lied. He knew where the key was, but just in case they could hear him he said differently.

"Probably the Ursa Major key, that's all I hear them talking about nowadays." He nodded before returning to his old position.

"It's a powerful item; in their hands it could be quite dangerous." He continued in a hushed voice.

"What's your name? How did you get here?' Mason asked rapidly, showing his want to change the subject.

"My name is Paro." He leaned back, looking towards the blocked sky. "I'm here because my father was a powerful wizard who fought Ragnarok."

"So you did nothing?" Mason asked with intrigue.

"Yup. Didn't lay a finger on hem. Hell I barely knew they existed before they captured me to use against my father."

"That's terrible! They can't-"

"They can." He interrupted. "I'm sentenced to life for the sin of being born, any son of Clive the Strong is apparently a sin to them. They are one of the strongest dark guilds; they can do alot of stuff without being noticed."

Mason nodded, rising from his knees. He slumped against the wall again, thinking.

"Where are we?" Mason decided to ask.

"Hell if I know. I wasn't conscious for the ride here, and I'm guessing you weren't either." He told him. Mason nodded, finally out of things to ask. Except for one thing. It was itching at his mind, he couldn't _not _ask it.

"Do you think they'll torture me?" Mason asked in a hush tone. He was scared; he was still a boy at heart, now he had to deal with powerful criminal organizations and valuable information.

"I don't want to scare you, but yes. That information is worth the world to them, they don't care what they have to do to get it."

Mason's eyes widened, he gulped audibly and brought his knees to his chest. He stuck his head in his knees and immediately sobbed.

He didn't know what to do; there was no way to prepare. Nobody knew here he was; nobody was coming to save him. He was only a boy, and now he was faced with torture for information.

He heard Paro curse under his breath, he walked to his bars and looked at Mason.

"Hey," He was in an awkward, soothing tone that didn't suit him. 'It's alright. You can do this. They can't get that information. It's..." he stopped, he didn't want to frighten the mage anymore, but he needed to know. "Just, if they get that key, Fiore is kaput. Even the masters can't stand against that thing."

Mason choke-sobbed, even better. If he failed, everyone would die.

"C'mon man, everyone is depending on you. I'm depending on you! You're guild is! Do it for your friends! Your family!"

Mason waved away his attempts with a snort. His family was in another dimension. His guild only thought of him as a beginner, nobody respected him. He had some friends, but not real friends. Maryanna was friendly to everyone, Dante poked fun at him more than he was actually a friend, Erza only talked to him because he was from Earth, and he was pretty neutral with Natsu and Lucy. If he had something he would have thrown it against the wall, nobody cared about him. He had no friends.

"Hey Paro," He forced a weak smile through the curtain of his depression. "Will you be my friend?"

"Sure kid, I'll be your friend. We're in this together now, eh?" He chuckled before smiling sadly, staring off into the not-so-distant distance.

Good. He had a friend. He had someone to care about, and someone to do the same for him.

The sound of a door unlatching dropped his spirits down back to zero. Sebastian entered with a burly man through a thick wooden door.

"Good, you are awake." He said simply, sickly joy in his voice. His eyes found Paro and they automatically lowered. "I see you have met the vermin." Paro shied away from his gaze and scuttled to the corner of his cell. Mason guessed he had felt Sebastian's hand more than once.

The large man stuck a large key into Mason's bars and shifted them aside, letting Sebastian enter.

"Donovan." He held out a hand and the large man set a hammer and a nail into it. The nail was overly large, like a railroad nail. Donovan pulled out a dagger and knelt down, placing it against Mason's throat. Knowing he had no chance, Mason did not struggle.

"Where is the key?' Sebastian squatted and smiled at him.

"Inside your mother." Mason smiled broadly. The look on Sebastian's face was worth the groin-kick that came afterwards.

"I'm feeling nice today, so I'll ignore that. Where is the key?"

Mason remembered well the moment he had overheard it. He had sworn himself to secrecy...

What if somehow, he saw the Master again? He wasn't that bad, he actually cared about everyone, he thought of them as his kids. What if he didn't tell anyone about the key, and he could tell the master that?

Yes, he wanted to tell Master he kept his word. This wasn't just for Paro, it was for Master.

"Never-never land!" Mason cried, sounding nonsensical to everyone else.

Before Mason could react, Donovan grabbed both of his hands and held them above his head on top of each other against a wooden support on the wall. Sebastian placed the nail point against his palm.

Mason uttered no cry as the ring of the hammer echoed through the stone room.

Donovan released his hold on his wrists, but they didn't fall to hid sides. Mason tugged at his wrists, but they would not move away from the wall.

Mason screamed in shock as realization and pain came to him. The nail felt as if it was on fire, burning through his palms. Blood flowed freely down his wrists and onto his torso, staining his shirt. Of course, stains were the least of his worries. His vision was in red, large blotches covered his vision. He breathed at such a rapid pace he was nearly choking.

"I'll let you hang out for a bit, maybe it'll loosen you up." Sebastian smiled and left with Donovan, locking the door behind him.

"AHHHHH!" Mason breathing came in rapid gasps, he was hyperventilating. "AHHHHHH!"

He was panicking, he was in shock. A large nail rammed its way through his palm... no, no it couldn't have. He was dreaming, yeah he was dreaming. Dante was about to throw a towel, or maybe even use cold water on him and tell him to wake up. Toby would be hung around his shoulders; he would be wearing only black pants as usual, with bare feet.

The pain from his hands instantly brought him back to reality.

"AHHHHH! AHHHHH!" Mason leaned forward as far as he could and screamed at the top of his lungs. The pain only seemed to escalate. It was as if a thousand fire ants were attacking his palm, and he could only sit through it.

Maybe if he could grab the nail, he could pull it out. He flexed his fingers, but felt nearly nothing. He... he couldn't move his middle and index fingers.

He looked up and regretted it. His hands were filled with blood; splatter marks surrounded the wall around his hands. His wrists were completely crimson, the blood ending up at his torso. It was still warm and it slowly trickled, it made him uneasy. He returned his gaze to his fingers and found both middle and index fingers limp. He couldn't feel them; he couldn't move them, shit.

The pain suddenly peaked; Mason couldn't take any more and silently passed out from the pain.

000

Mason woke later; he couldn't guess how much time had passed. His eyes weren't open, but he could hear scuffling noises.

"Hey kid?" Paro leaned against his bars, a single arm slipping through and reaching out to him. "Are you okay? I heard you screaming before-"he cut himself off, seeing the nail.

"That's... sick, I can't believe..." A shudder went through Paro's body and he turned away, going back to his usual position but facing away from Mason.

Mason slowly opened his eyes. His sight was blurry and faded. He slowly slipped back into sleep.

000

Mason woke a second time more fully. His mind felt clearer. The pain finally faded, at least slightly.

He finally gained a little awareness of his surroundings. It was a little comforting, knowing the pain was subsiding slowly, gaining some awareness.

His entire chest was sticky and gross, as well as the entirety of his underarms. Paro was asleep in his cell, softly snoring. His hands no longer pained him, but they itched. It was a terrible feeling; every part of his inner hand that touched the nail itched terribly. They itched so much, they almost hurt. It felt like insects were crawling around inside his hands, it was sickening.

Mason grunted through the pain and looked around, trying to direct his attention somewhere else.

The first thing he noticed was the smell. It made him want to throw up now that he smelled it fully. It smelled like, he didn't even want to describe it. Sweat, dirt, rats, and other stink, not to mention lots of blood. Paro probably hadn't taken a shower in a long time, and he didn't want to know about the bathroom process in a prison.

"Hey Paro, you think Fairy Tail likes me?" He said it in a stupor, still over-thinking the subject.

"Mhmm aahh, huh?" Paro pulled himself out of sleep slowly.

"I don't know." Mason shrugged his shoulders. "Mirajane was cool, but now she is a man-eating demon. Erza only likes me-"he stopped, he needed to watch what he said. "Uh, because I bought her a new sword."

"What are you talking about?" Paro grumbled, stretching.

"I don't think my guild likes me very much." He explained drunkenly.

"That's stupid. At least you have a guild. I've had nobody for the past four months. My parents are dead, work of Ragnarok. Everyone probably thinks I'm dead, so there goes my friends. There's no chance of getting out of here. All I've got left is the rats." He pointed towards the vermin scurrying along his legs. "Fairy Tail is a good gig. It's a family, people care about each other. I doubt anyone hates you, you're just paranoid."

He was... right. With the exception of Elfman, when had he been shown anything but kindness? Even people he had barely met, Lisanna for example, were polite and kind to him. They cared about him, he had friends.

No, they weren't friends. They were family.

"I hope my family finds me." Mason smiled slowly. "They don't know where I am, but..."

Could he really hold out? He was taken away to an unknown location, would they be able to find him before he let the information slip? The tortures were only going to get worse.

Mason clenched his jaw and looked straight ahead in sudden determination.

"They can break my body, but they won't break my spirit. I won't betray Fairy Tail."

000

The door opened and Sebastian entered, this time alone.

"Sebastian! The whale-washing dolphin!" **(Shark Tale) **Mason chanted nonsensically, keeping up his strange act. If Sebastian saw him in high, determined spirits, then he might torture him worse. If he saw him as a broken, crazy boy, he might be lighter in his misery.

"That I am not." He simply answered with a frown, entering his cell.

"I won't hurt you anymore. I'll set you free and let you walk out of the gates a free man. Just tell me the one place that a simple key is kept. There is no point in being difficult."

_Gates_. Mason noted. Wherever they were, there were gates. It was unlikely to be a house in disguise as a hideout, more like an old castle or a large mansion.

"A key?" Mason suddenly furrowed his eyebrows; if he had his hands he would tap them against his chin.

"Yes, a key." Sebastian agreed impatiently.

"A key... hmm." Mason sat there, thinking. He sat there doing nothing, stalling for as long as he dared.

"Underneath the welcome rug!" Mason yelled with fake realization.

"Not that key." Sebastian breathed through clenched teeth. He raised a fist and opened it, revealing a small orb of fire. "Maybe you need incentive!" He slammed his palm against Mason's chest.

The most sickening feeling in the world is feeling your skin being burnt off. The pain was unbearable, Mason screamed at the top of his lungs, keeping the note for a solid ten seconds.

Sebastian pulled his hand away with satisfaction. He had burnt through his clothes easily, revealing his entire chest and a sickly scorch mark between his biceps.

"Sebastian..." Mason grunted, clenching his teeth hard. Tears took over his eyes and fell freely on the stone floor. "The whale... washing... dolphin."

Sebastian frowned and kicked his chin, lurching his body sideways. His nail pulled at his hands, adding to his overall pain.

"Sebastian..." Mason stopped and breathed; trying to dull the pain he felt everywhere. "The whale washing... dolphin."

"I will come back one last time, and if you don't decide to loosen your tongue-" Sebastian aimed both hands at the ground and shot a blast of light at it, making the entire room rumble. Mason noticed that the floor was unscathed, Strange. Sebastian grunted and left.

Meanwhile, Mason's chest was on fire.

Raw skin surrounding the wound seethed with pain, red and enflamed. Sebastian burnt away the skin, revealing bits of white ribcage. His entire chest still sizzled quietly, still hot. Mason sobbed once before passing out mercifully.

000

Unrivaled noise pulled Mason out of his trance. Mason let out a small wheeze, his chest flaring in pain when he did so.

_Oh great, now it hurts to breathe._

Mason held his breath as he opened his eyes to a squint. He almost laughed at what he saw. He was probably dreaming, there was no chance it was real.

Synnova was visible through the open doorway, a shroud of darkness rising behind her. Her eyes were the epitome of anger, nearly blazing with hate. He watched as she snatched a man by the throat and hurled him against a wall.

"Where is he!?" She demanded, shadows reaching out and enveloping the man. He pointed in his direction with a shaky finger. She slammed a fist into his right eye before stomping off. Sebastian stepped in her way.

"Fairy Tail finally found their way here?" He asked absently, not caring about the answer. Light enveloped his hands, lighting up the room they were in.

"Don't stand in my way." She growled, Shadows doing likewise around her forearms.

Mason chuckled, despite the flaring pain it caused. The irony humored his hazy thoughts. Everything slowly seemed to slip, he closed his eyes softly.

He opened them just as slow, finding Synnova approaching him. She bent towards him, her white hair hanging down. She put a hand over her mouth, her red eyes glazing over his horrid appearance.

She did a little choke-sob-cough and wrapped her arms around him wordlessly. If Mason would have been more awake, he would have been very confused. Synnova sobbed once, a cold tear landed on Mason's shoulder and slowly trickled down his chest.

"_Sss_-"Mason hissed, attempting her name.

"Shhh." Synnova continued to hug him. She might not have if she knew how much her breasts pushing against his chest pained him.

"You're going home May-May. I'm taking you home." She whispered softly in his ear.

**I think a good theme for this chapter is I Will not Bow by Breaking Benjamin.**


	13. Ragnarok Pt 4

**This chapter and the next will be the events that happened while Mason was imprisoned, following several different characters.**

Mirajane lay on the ground, gasping. It was silent, the fighting must have stopped. She could see nothing, and a great weight was pressing against her.

She grunted as she pushed the drinks table off of her, revealing the outside world. People were milling around, cleaning up the mess the best they could, checking everyone's injuries and trying to find their friends.

"Mira!" Gray's voice called, he was relatively near her and had heard her stirring. He ran over and helped her up.

"Gray, what happened?" Mira rubbed her sore head; it felt like someone was trying to inflate her skull.

"We drove them off." Gray said with a smile, but it faded immediately after. "Actually... It seemed more like a retreat. They didn't get the Mayor though, and that is what is important."

"Where is everyone?" Gray helped Mirajane up; she was still unsteady on her feet.

"They're all somewhere." He shrugged, leading her over to a small group of people in the middle of the room.

"You found her!" Lisanna tackled her sister in a big hug.

"She was under some rubble, but I found her." Gray nodded. Lisanna dragged her sister to her place between Lucy and Natsu.

"Great job Gray." Erza nodded at him. "With everyone here, Elfman and Maryanna with the guards-where is Dante?" She asked abruptly.

"I'm here; I was just calling for more wizards from the guild. Hey," Dante looked around. "Where's Mason?"

A look of horror swept across Mira's face.

"He-he attacked them!"Mirajane shivered, everyone's gaze turned to her. "That light mage had me and Mason attacked him. I think they might have taken him." She sobbed into her elbow at the thought of Mason, captured.

"Mason wouldn't just hand himself over without a fight." Dante cut in.

"Keep looking for him, we aren't leaving without everyone!" Erza said, hiding her worry. It was all her fault; she had flippantly talked about the deepest guarded secret of Fairy Tail and put Mason in danger because of it. If Mason told them,

Erza shuddered.

She had to think logically, there was a possibility of that. Mason was a fresh mage and Ragnarok consisted of powerful mages... Erza's eyes widened slightly. Mason would leak, he had to. He didn't stand a chance. She had to cling to the hope that he wasn't captured.

"I want every crook, cranny and corner of this building searched for that mage!" Erza bellowed suddenly, making everyone look.

000

"Shit!" Dante spun, sending his boot into a table. "NO! He can't be!"

"Calm down." Gray sat cross-legged, his eyes closed "You heard Erza, no need to do anything stupid.

"Calm down!" Dante exclaimed, turning on him. He pointed frantically to a wall. "Ragnarok is out there torturing my-_our_ guild mate and you're going to sit there?"

"What are you gonna do!? Go after him? You'll get slaughtered!" Gray countered.

"I'd do more than sit here!" Dante yelled, pulling at his hair.

"I feel so bad, it's my fault!" Mira sobbed, pulling her knees to her chest. "That would have been me, but Mason took my place. So I didn't have to..." She cut herself off, not wanting to know what they were doing to him.

"Shhh, it's alright. Mason will come back." Lisanna stroked her shoulder comfortingly.

"It'll take a real man to walk out of where he is." Elfman commented gruffly, earning harsh glares from everyone.

"Mason will come back," Dante defended his friend. "He's strong!"

"We're here!" Wendy announced, entering the large room. Once she began taking in her surrounding, Wendy immediately picked out the injured people. She hurried over to the mages, her long hair bouncing. Her first subject was Natsu.

"Hold still Natsu." She chided. Natsu cradled his left arm protectively.

"Leave me Wendy, some soldiers are worse." Natsu pushed her off. Wendy frowned at him, which he returned sternly. She sighed in defeat and ran off.

"Juvia is unsatisfied with the amount of destruction, especially since Fairy Tail was here." The bluenette smiled as she entered. "The building still stands."

"Where is Mason?"Synnova immediately snapped from behind her , not spotting him in the crowd.

"He's... captured." Gray answered reluctantly.

"What guild was it? Ragnarok?" Synnova asked immediately.

"Yes. Ragnarok." Dante answered from his pacing position.

Synnova said nothing; she simply turned around and walked out.

"Where are you going?" Wendy asked, worried.

"To find Mason." She said simply. She was met with a chorus of disapproval, but she blocked it out. She was going to find Mason and bring him home. That was her mission, and she wasn't resting until it was completed.

000

"Now do you wanna tell me where he is?" Synnova asked the man she was holding up by his ankles. He was easily ten years older than her and strong for his age, but he stood no chance against her.

"Why Fairy? So you can-"Synnova swung him against the stone wall of the alleyway, his chest emitting sickly cracking noises.

"You're pathetic. You couldn't keep up with your guild; you are a weak straggler who doesn't deserve to live." Synnova stated darkly. The man scrambled from her grip and ran off trying to escape. He hit a solid wall of shadows.

"You can't actually believe in escape. This is midnight, the height of my power." She explained cruelly, revealing in the man's horror. She had immediately scoured the area for fleeing Ragnarok wizards. She had found one, and the fool had tried to run away in an alleyway. The irony was unbelievable, a teenage girl assaulting a full grown man in a dark alleyway.

Her body was thrumming with power; every inch of this place was coated with her element. As a Shadow Dragon Slayer, darkness was her element. It gave her power.

"Now, where are you taking my guildmate!?" She demanded. The man slowly got up, looking around. Shadows danced around him on their accord, tendrils reached out at him from a dozen different points. He was only a Ring Mage; he wouldn't be able to stand against her.

"Motaku! Our guild has a small outpost in Motaku, it's nearest. They will probably regrouping there." He sputtered out.

_Motaku_. She pondered. When she was a member of Ragnarok, they only had one base, and she knew where that was hidden.

"You've outlived your purpose." She decided.

"Wait! You used to be one of u-" She flung her hand out, sending him hurtling into the wall aging. She lifted both hands and wrapped him with tendrils of shadows.

"_Used to be_!" She corrected firmly, squeezing him generously before hurling him away. She stalked out of the alleyway, shadows retreating, not worrying about the fate of the man.

"Synnova!" Someone grabbed her shoulder. She lashed out instantly, swinging her arm as she turned to face her attacker. The man caught it firmly, not showing any sign of releasing it. Without stopping to register her attacker's face, she punched with her other hand. The man caught that too and leaned in close, letting her see his face in the darkness.

"It's just me, chill out." Gray chided. His raven hair disappeared into the darkness, leaving half a pale face visible. The rest of the group approached from behind. Satisfied with her safety, Synnova realised him and dusted herself off.

"Why did you run off like that?" Wendy asked in an innocent tone. Synnova's stern glare instantly caught her, but even Nova couldn't stare at the small girl hatefully.

"Getting information. They brought him to their outpost at Motaku." She stood at her full height, facing the entire crowd of mages. "I'm raiding their outpost. Tonight. l If any of you have a shred of bravery or Guild Honor, you'll come with me."

The mages present were Wendy, Juvia, Lucy, Natsu, Grey, Erza, Dante, Elfman and Synnova. The Strauss girls and Maryanna had stayed to tend to the injured guards. They had no magic on their side and more than half of them retained injured.

"I'm going!" Natsu announced, stepping forward. "I'm not letting them take a Fairy Tail mage!"

"Well I can't let Natsu have a higher score than me, kicking dome more Ragnarok ass would be nice." Gray smiled, taking his place beside Natsu.

"Score" Wendy asked curiously.

"How many Ragnarok mages each of us have killed." Gray smiled darkly. There was no way his score of sixty-eight was going to be lower than Natsu's seventy-three when the day was done.

"I had better keep an eye on you two." Erza explained, walking forward as well.

"Hey, I want to come too!" Lucy complained, joining them.

"No reason to make a scene, are you coming or not!?" Synnova snapped. The rest of the mages stepped forward all at once.

**I fell bad ending it here, but the climatic part is pretty long. It would be a huge chapter.**


	14. Ragnarok Pt 5

"ROAR OF THE FIRE DRAGON!" Natsu screamed, emitting a inferno of fire in a concentrated vortex. It claimed Ragnarok mages all the way down its path.

"Where's Synnova?" Erza demanded, she wore raven armour and wielded two swords of impossible size. She swung them with ease, twirling them as if they feathers, taking down mages with every movement.

"She went forward." Natsu answered her. His fists erupted in fire and he pounced on any mages he missed.

"Diamond Drive!" Dante yelled, his hands flying out in strange directions at a rapid pace. He was actually grabbing cards, and he soon had five in his hand. He smirked, pushing the cards away from each other so that each individual one could be seen. He flung them out, willing them to each grow into large, blue diamonds that met the mages running at him. If you keep out the gruesome details, they diamonds did their job and more, making quick work of his enemies.

"You." Someone said simply. Dante turned and locked eyes with the speaker. The sight of the brown-haired mage instantly made him grimace. It was Edmund.

Edmund was a second rank wizard, the Ragnarok equivalent of an S-class mage. He had picked Dante out of the crowd at the ball and they had fought for over an hour. If it had not been for Taurus interfering, Edmund surely would have defeated Dante.

"I'm gonna kill you this time." Dante promised, stalking towards Edmund.

"You'll pay for attacking Sebastian!" Edmund erupted, snatching a red card pack out of his pocket and throwing it into the air. 54 Cards filed out of it, gathering in a dome around him.

"Why so protective, got a crush?" Dante prodded annoyingly. To his surprise, Edmund blinked rapidly and faltered slightly, making him burst out laughing.

"Shut up! I'll kill you, fairy!" Edmund screamed. Dante did not answer. He simply pulled up his overcoat's sleeves and held out his arms. Cards began flying to it, pulled out of the orbit suddenly as if magnetized. They glowed blue momentarily before disappearing into his skin, leaving a small club mark where they landed.

He charged at Edmund, his body surging with strength. He struck at him, a crushing blow that should have sent him across the flattened ground. Instead, red cards gathered around his fist and stopped it in his tracks. Dante reached back and struck with his left arm, but found the same result. He cried out and punched it rapidly, with the fury of a boxer on his punching bag. He stopped momentarily to breathe, the shield still intact. Wordlessly, Edmund sent a diamond into Dante's gut and sent him tumbling backwards.

"I'm stronger than you Edmund." Dante rose to his feet slowly, forcing a smirk onto his face. "I'd tell you to eat your heart out, but nobody likes Sebastian's leftovers."

With that, Edmund rushed up to him and punched him in the exact same spot, sending hi flying the way he came.

"Totally worth it." Dante groaned, getting up to his feet with more difficulty. He snatched a king of hearts from his deck and pressed it to his stomach. The card disappeared and Dante breathed with relief, most of the pain faded.

"On my first hit, you use your most powerful healing card." Edmund pointed out happily. "Tell me who is whose superior, peasant."

Becoming serious again, Dante took advantage of the momentary lapse and began pulling cards out of his orbit at seemingly random. He began a delicate and complicated spell, finally having a series of cards in front of him. A blue circle flared to life under his feet.

"KING'S COURT!" Dante screamed, sending the cards out. Each of them landed in such a place so that they made a perfect circle around the two of them. The ground began to shake and twelve blue spires rose from the places around them. If someone was close enough and squinted through their blue brilliance, they would have noticed they comprised of only playing cards.

Dante yelled at the top of his lungs. It was unnerving, let alone inhuman. Sweat poured down his overheating body, his limbs trembled on their own accord. Magic energy flowed through his veins, more than he ever dared to harness before.

"FAIRY TAIL!" Dante cried, waving his arms and sending a third of the spires at Edmund. The card mage jumped onto the first, kicking off onto the third. He looked back and watched the first two spikes crash into each other, sending cards everywhere. He performed a quick shield spell. A thick, red membrane easily deflected the final spire. He landed with perfect precision, stalking towards Dante with a smirk.

"I'm your superior peasant, I always will be." He growled, reaching for cards to make a spell.

Dante

"_No_..." Dante whispered, falling onto one knee. A single memory rose to the surface of his buzzing mind, seemingly random. A seven-year old Dante stood struck by horror; his blue hair falling in ragged locks past his shoulders. His parent's blood pooled around his feet... would he face the same fate as his family? Murdered by nothing more than criminals?

"NO!" Dante slammed his palms on the ground, a magic circle spinning to life. All of his remaining cards flew into the circle, swirling downward like it was a black hole. The circle sped into the air until it was fifteen feet up, angling slowly towards the Ragnarok mage. Cards began to fly out, cracking like a whip with every one, the collective sound similar to a machine gun. They moved quickly, their blue fire falling behind them like a comet's tail, making it look like a single bolt of blue. Wherever they struck, dust shot into the air and a small crater was left in the ground.

Edmund smirked as he dodged them, casually swaying from side to side. He would lean at awkward-looking angels, only to have a card whiz past him, only his quick movements saving him. He feinted a stumble and scurried along the ground, the circle following him and shooting cards down his path. When the dust cleared, a line of small craters portrayed exactly where his trail had been.

The shooting suddenly stopped, the circle disappeared and the cards fell to the ground, unlit and useless. Edmund stopped before Dante, watching his current rival fall to his knees in defeat and utter exhaustion. Dante breathed a slow, ragged gasp; all traces of energy deteriorated from his being.

"Remember my name, as it will be the last thing you hear." Edmund placed his palm on Dante's forehead, pushing it back so it hurt his neck. His hand flashed and he brandished a straight of five diamonds, enough to kill Dante in his state.

"I know your name, dipshit." Dante growled.

"Edmund." He said, ignoring Dante, He moved to send the cards at Dante and kill him, but his wrist didn't move. He turned and frowned at them, finding them completely encased in case. Before he could react, a large spike of ice struck him across the face and sent him tumbling.

"Dante!" Gray said worriedly. He bent down to his fellow mage and wrapped his arms around his own shoulders, helping him up.

"Thanks for popping in." Dante muttered, swaying on his feet.

"I'll get you back, let's go." Gray awkwardly connected his hand and froze a hasty shield around Edmund.

"Let me at that faggot." Dante wheezed, stumbling towards the ice casing.

"Get back here you idiot." Gray muttered, easily capturing Dante again.

"Just protect me enough so I can get inside. All their mages are out here." Dante ordered.

'You're going after Mason." Gray pointed out; Dante made no move to hide it and nodded. Realizing he couldn't bargain with him, Gray let him go and readied himself to freeze anyone who posed a threat to Dante. He made it to the castle-looking building easily and slipped inside.

He placed a hand against the wall and slowly stumbled through the hallway. His hand slipped suddenly and he saw a room through an open doorway.

"Ten seconds..." He muttered, going into the large room. "I just need ten seconds."

He plopped himself down on a chair seated in front of a table and breathed heavily. He studied the room, to him it seemed like it would be the guild room for Ragnarok. It had many tables and chairs, weapons decorated the walls and a large fireplace burned in the far wall. Dante rested for longer than he planned, but he had recovered energy when He heard footsteps.

"Comfortable?" Edmund asked in a mock casual tone.

"As comfortable as you can be in this dump." Dante responded, getting to his feet and kicking the chair away. Edmund instantly sent a diamond in his direction and Dante rolled out of the way.

(This scene works better when you listen to Dante's OFFICIAL theme song, Remember the Name by Fort Minor)

Dante scurried over to the wall, pulling two swords out of their place as wall hangers. One was longer, similar to a cutlass, while the other had a curved and short blade, similar to a shoto.

"You have too much faith in your magic, letting your physical abilities fall short." He crouched with the swords, hoping he would injure his pride enough to make him strike. "You wouldn't able to beat me in any category other than magic."

"Learn your place, Fairy." Edmund snarled, ripping a strange-looking spatha off of the wall.

Dante smirked with satisfaction, posing with both of his blades.

Edmund's face took on a neutral look and he slashed at him, holding the sword in two hands. Dante batted it aside with his cutlass, doing a lazy slash to his gut with the shoto. He wasn't used two holding a weapon in his left hand, so he could only use raw, deliberate movements with it.

Edmund noticed, knocking it against the stone floor with a metallic ring.

_Well there goes that._

Dante threw his sword to his other hand and slashed at Edmund's throat with his cutlass, forcing him to step back. He slashed vertically before spinning and slicing sideways, both blocked by Edmunds blade.

He countered quickly, doing a lower slash to Dante's hip, he blocked it carefully, the reverberation jarring his arm.

Although they traded blows equally, Dante could tell he didn't have the upper hand. Every slash was blocked and followed by a stab, which was dodged and countered with a slice to the throat. The deadly dance continued, accompanied by a chorus of ringing steel and ragged pants.

The spatha swung around low, aiming for his ankles. Seeing an opening, Dante leapt in the air and made a quick jab for the Ragnarok mage's neck, aiming for the black guild mark. In blinding speed, the spatha shot up and angled it behind his back. He spun around to regain a normal stance, eyeing Dante.

_He's fast with that, faster than someone should be with that sword_. Dante thought grimly, running his eyes down the straight edge.

Dante stalked towards him, but darted forward and jabbed at his ankle. Edmund lifted it off of the floor and swiped at his head. Dante ducked, but when he rose Edmund was in perfect position to elbow him in the jaw.

The blue-haired mage stumbled back, before catching himself, spitting a large wad of blood on the stone grimly.

Edmund pounced, executing a series of swipes. Dante knocked strike after strike, occasionally dodging or ducking, trying to come up with a strategy. He frowned, realizing one but not liking it.

At that moment Edmund swung a huge blow over his head, which Dante flew under, ending up on the other side of him. He raised his arm for another large strike and lowered it slower than usual. The sting of Edmund's blade whipped just below Dante elbow.

The card mage gasped. He knew the pain was coming but it still stung like hell. He wasted no time in executing the plan, knowing he only had a moment to move.

Edmund's arm was still flung out, a smile on his face from seeing Dante's blood. Gritting his teeth through his injury, he slipped under his outstretched arm and shoved the blunt pommel into Edmund's ribcage. He gasped tumbling forward. The upper class mage of Ragnarok foot hit something slick and he stumbled onto one foot, waving his arms for balance.

Dante spun and threw out his arm, cleanly slicing off Edmund's head. It hit the ground with a solid _thud_. Dante spun the foreign weapon in his hand, stepping forward and sticking it through Edmund's chest. He rose, leaving it there.

He eyed the puddle of his own blood from his arm cut, sitting beside the gob of blood he spat up, a small section of a shoeprint now in the middle of it.

He made his way over to the destination, the wall mount that Edmund had taken the sword from. It was made of polished wood, detailed with scenes of battle and death. The two hooks that the sword used to hang one were bent from the swords abrupt abduction.

He carefully took off the blue scabbard found underneath it and made his way over to Edmund's body. He found the scabbard in a pool of its owner blood. Not caring about the mess, he slid it inside the sheath with a classic _shhhiinnng_ and strapped it over his back.

"Dante!" Gray stopped his trek down the hallway when he saw the mage. He entered the large fireplace room to greet his fellow mage. "There you are, we're all- dude, are you okay!?" He cut himself off, seeing the blood covering Dante's clothes.

"Not by blood." Dante explained, smiling a sick smile.

Gray's eyes widened, seeing Edmund's head separated from his body.

"Oh my god... you killed him! You killed Edmund!" Gray exclaimed excitedly. "He was a second rank wizard! C'mon man, we need to tell everyone!" Gray turned back and bolted off, leaving Dante to follow him. Dante cradled his bicep, holding in a cry of pain in front of his guildmate.

"Guys, I found Dante!" Gray exclaimed, bursting into a second room, similar to the guild room but much smaller. All of the Fairy Tail mages lay aimlessly around, tending to wounds or simply resting at the chosen rendezvous.

"Good, I had thought we lost you Dante.' Erza said as politely as someone like Erza can say something.

"Dante!" Maryanna screeched wrapping her arms around him. Dante felt water wet his shoulder and he listened carefully, hearing Maryanna sob.

"Hey, Anna. I'm fine." Dante said slowly, although since he patted her on the back his blood wet her outfit, showing he was not in fact alright.

"He killed a second rank wizard, Edmund!" Gray exclaimed excitedly, slapping him on the back.

"How?" Lucy asked innocently, knowing the true power of the second class wizards. Dante smiled, meeting Erza's gaze.

"I duelled him with swords, not magic-"

"Now that's a man's fight!" Elfman interrupted.

"-And little did he know," Dante smiled broadly. "I've sparred with Erza before. He didn't stand a chance."

"Impressive Dante, we commend you on your achievement. Stay here and tend to that wound. The rest of us who are in fine condition will be going after Mason, and then we will be out of here." Dante began to argue, but she cut him off. "It's alright; we aren't in need of our full force anymore. The outpost is nearly deserted; we have them on the run."

"Alright, go find him." Dante said, and with that nearly everyone left.

"You're hurt." Maryanna said suddenly, tracing a slim finger down his cut delicately.

"You should see the other guy." Dante joked with a smile. "And we've been in worse situations, remember?"

"I'd rather not..." Maryanna muttered with a downward glance.

"Those memories make us strong." Dante reminded, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I remember when I first saw you. Twelve years old, ragged,-"

"Probably smelled like a rat's ass too." Dante pointed out.

"Yeah, the first thing I did when I took you in was throw you in the shower." Maryanna recalled with a smile. She wrapped her arms around him wordlessly and nuzzled her head into his strong chest.

000

Synnova snatched a man by the throat and hurled him against a wall.

"Where is he!?" She demanded, shadows reaching out and enveloping the man. He pointed away with a shaky finger. She slammed a fist into his right eye before stomping off. Sebastian stepped in her way.

"Fairy Tail finally found their way here?" He asked absently, not caring about the answer. Light enveloped his hands, lighting up the room they were in.

"Don't stand in my way." She growled, Shadows doing likewise around her forearms. A noise somewhere between a cough and a wheeze was heard from a cell.

"Don't you love what we've done to the place? It's really alot better than the one you used to-"Synnova cut him off with a tendril of shadow. Sebastian tilted his head sideways, feeling the air disruption as it barely missed him.

He responded by placing his fists on top of each other and sending a huge, brilliant beam of light at Synnova. Hundreds of small tendrils wrapped around the beam, enveloping it and dimming it to non existence. Synnova send a barrage of shadow at him, each slim piece striking rapidly and soon followed by another. Sebastian blocked them easily, enveloping his palms in light band knocking each of them away.

"Your technique has become sloppy." He pointed out.

"There isn't going to be a winner here Sebastian. We are evenly matched, you trained me too well." Synnova responded.

"I am still a man of reason Synnova, unlike you I have not changed. Unfortunately you are correct; my guild was ill-prepared for your attack." He responded, making Synnova frown. His lack of pride and how he spoke with such reason still unnerved her, he barely sounded human.

"Go ahead and take your mage back to your guild, he might not even know where the key is. You'll probably have enough time while we lick our wounds to recover, so go ahead. Go home. I promise you this, we will be back, and we will have that key." He responded. He did a small wave before absorbing all the light around him, making him disappear into the night.

With Sebastian gone, Synnova rushed over to Mason.

He opened his eyes slowly, she watched as they slowly focused on her approaching form. She bent over him, her white hair hanging down. She put a hand over her mouth, her red eyes glazing over his horrid appearance.

She did a little choke-sob-cough and wrapped her arms around him wordlessly. She didn't care what Mason thought, she wasn't holding in her emotions this one time. Synnova sobbed once, a cold tear landed on Mason's shoulder.

"_Sss_-"Mason hissed, probably attempting her name.

"Shhh." Synnova continued to hug him. She might not have if she knew how much her breasts pushing against his chest pained him.

"You're going home Mason. I'm taking you home." She whispered softly in his ear.

"Paro..." He said suddenly.

"Who's Paro?" She asked. She snapped her fingers and shattered the nail that held his hands. He held hem in front of his face, amazed to be able to see though his hands.

"Bring Paro with us." Mason said simply. Synnova followed his gaze to another form in a cell opposite his.

"Alright, I'll bring Paro. C'mon, everyone is waiting." She helped him to his feet. He stared at her absently until their gaze locked again.

"You came." He acknowledged simply.

"Of course I did." Synnova smiled sadly at him.


	15. Reunion

**ALRIGHT!**

**I finally got all the shipping names. Please PM me your thoughts on how I'm doing with the romance. I suck at romance and love getting PMed, so don't be shy! ^.^**

**Dante+Maryanna= Mante  
Mason+Mirajane=Mara  
Mason+Erza=Merza  
Mason+Synnova= Mannova  
**

When Mason woke up, he was in a Ragnarok prison cell.

_"You're awake, excellent." Someone who was leaning over him commented. He got up, black hair swaying, and walked several paces away from him before turning to face him. It took him several seconds to place the face, and when he did Mason instantly wanted to escape. He tried to move, but he was secured firmly. His elbows, nothing. Wrists, hands, bicep, nothing could move. He turned to see his arms nailed sideways along the wall, over ten thick nails holding it in place. Blood started streaming out of it profusely._

_Mason yelled, desperately tugging at his crude bindings. _

_"Your suffering pleases me." Sebastian commented coolly, reaching for a black object. It was a taser. He shot it at Mason and it struck him it in the chest, the electricity stiffened Mason's body and making him spasm uncontrollably._

_He stopped for a moment, the residue electricity still coursing through Mason's veins. He twitched and shifted uncontrollably and struggled to meet the light mages eyes. When he did, he slowly saw another figure approach._

_"We will soon see how strong your resolve truly is." Sebastian grinned cruelly before pulling the figure into view, revealing Mirajane._

_"Don't bring her into this!" Mason pleaded. He didn't care how he looked in front of Sebastian; he couldn't hurt Mira just to get to him._

_Sebastian ginned, grabbing a small knife from his belt. He wrapped an arm around Mira to hold her in place, the blade flashed with movement and-_

Mason writhed in bed again, wrapping the blankets around him.

Mira leaned in closer, gripping her slim hand around his firmly. She knew her firm grip probably didn't register in his mind, but it brought her some comfort.

She watched as his jaw clenched tightly, tendons in his neck stuck out and sweat began to cover his body. He kicked under the sheets and Mira's face became shrouded with guilt. It was her fault he was in this situation now; he had gone through what she should have.

Her hand slowly left his grasp as she leaned back in her chair. She sobbed several times, but fell asleep before she could let a tear fall.

000

Mason woke up hot. Strange, the cell was usually wet and damp. He stretched his shoulders, but found them lying on something. He frowned in confusion; his hands were by his sides. Where was he?

He slowly opened his eyes, they were flooded by light.

Light, he had not felt light in many hours. In the cell they had thirty minutes of light in the morning, but it soon disappeared and never made contact with his skin.

He moved his hands, feeling soft fabric. Probably cotton. He grabbed it and pulled it to his face, revelling in the blankets soft feeling.

He sat up with much complaint from his chest. Remembering his injuries, he looked down at his chest. His hand reached down and pulled up a gray t-shirt to reveal the injury. It was completely healed, its only remnant being a large pink scar. The middle of it was exactly where his ribcage split, it stretched nearly to his nipples. Its shape was somewhere between a star and a blast mark, large spikes protruding from it. It was pink and shiny; and its texture was smooth as if it was stretched tightly.

"Mira?" He noticed her, asleep in a chair beside him. The noise had come out as barely more than a croak, but its tone was recognizable.

"Mason!" She shot awake so fast he doubted she was actually asleep. She instantly wrapped him and pulled him into a deep bear hug.

"Mira!" he cried.

"Yes Mason, I'm-"

"You're hurting me." He cut her off, and she promptly set him back down. Her large breasts had been impaling his fresh scar tissue and it had hurt quite badly.

"Synnova..." He said quietly, recalling his last known memory.

"Yes. Synnova came to find you. Heck, half of Fairy Tail burst down the doors looking for you." Mirajane answered with a sad smile. A genuine grin broke out on Mason's face. He settled down on the bed feeling a mix of pride, inclusion and gratitude.

"Where am I?" He asked next, eying the unfamiliar room.

"In the guild. It has spare rooms along the bottom floor." She frowned at him, surprised he didn't recognize it. She might not have frowned if she knew the drama of the torture as wearing off.

"I'm so sorry Mason." Mira cut off any intention he had of talking. Her voice took on a guilty tone and she continued, looking down in shame. "It's my fault that you were captured. I can't believe what they did-" She cut herself off, taking a shaky breath before trying again. "Your injuries are- th-they're..." she couldn't hold it in and burst out in tears, covering her eyes in a desperate attempt to hold them back.

Mason raised his palms to his face, oblivious to the misery going on two feet away from him. He inspected the ugly scars, each of shaped like a splat mark and appearing on both sides of his palms. The flexed his fingers, all of them. He had regained use of the ones he lost use of in the Ragnarok cell.

"Amazing..." He muttered, inspecting the scars.

"M... Mason... Thank you so much..."Mira sniffed, but regained us of most of her voice. "Ev-very second I see you like this I... I wish it was me instead. I hate to see you like this... But I'm-m honored that you chose to take my place... Worthy to be S-class in my opinion..." Mason's face lit up and Mira smiled, knowing that he was at least listening. "Words fail to describe how thankful I am... And how much I respect you, how much everyone respects you..." Mira began to cry softly. "Thank you so much..."

"Does the guild like me?" Mason asked suddenly, his voice rising in strange places as if he was drunk.

At first she looked confused, but then she smiled sadly. "Mason... What you did, the guild... You did it for all of them." Tears came to her eyes, once more brimming over. "Of course they like you."

"What about Natsu?" he asked next.

"Of course Natsu likes you." She snorted, despite her current emotions. "Natsu liked everyone. I think he's even starting to think of you about a brother."

"How about Erza?" Mason continued.

"I think she has a crush on you." Mirajane said as she wiped a tear, regaining some humor.

"How 'bout you Mira?' Mason turned to her. "Your's opinion's the one I care about,

"Mason, maybe you should go back to sleep. You need your rest." Mira looked down with a small smile. "Of course I like you. You-" familiar thoughts burst into her head and tears moistened her eyes again "Y-you need rest."

She leaned forward slowly, hovering over Mason. Her face nearly pressed against his, she could see every detail of his ace. Her lips fell forward further, heading for Mason's own pair. She quickly recovered and placed her full lips against his forehead, before scurrying out of the room.

000

Mason's eye's blinked awake, inspecting the room. He looked towards the empty chair in the room should have been, but it definitely wasn't vacant. Dante sat in the chair. His expression exploded with happiness at the sight of his best friend. He noticed a new scar on his arm and a sword strapped to his back, but it barely registered in his mind compared to his companion.

Maryanna sat across his lap, her legs dangling off the side off the chair. Her arms hung loosely around his neck and her head lay softly on his shoulder. They both dozed, snoring quietly.

"Dante, when I wake up..." He began, laying down on the bed and feeling the clutches of sleep grab him. "I swear I'm gonna tear you a new asshole."

000

"Hey. Kid." A strong hand shook his shoulder slightly, summoning Mason's awareness. His eyes slipped open, focusing on a person he didn't know. It was a single lone person, the only one in the room.

He was a young man, about twenty-one. His chin was perfectly clean-shaven; he also had a sharp nose and defined features. His hair was dark brown, nearly black, and cut short, left messy and in all directions. His eyes were the exact color of his hair, and they had a soft and welcoming air about them.

"You wanna eat or not?" The man smiled a small smirk, lifting a bowl of soup. Mason's face softened with realization.

"You cut your hair Paro. It looks better" He answered, shifting into a sitting position and taking the bowl.

"You look better too, kid." He smiled rapidly back, ruffling Mason's hair to match his own.

"It's good to see you! How'd you get here?" Mason said, a look of true happiness forming on his face.

"You don't remember?' he asked, pulling up a chair. "Your friend with the white hair was dragging you out of there and you kept telling her to go back for me." He smiled and looked down with something that almost resembled awkwardness. "Thanks kid, I owe you one."

"Your arm!" Mason shot up, jostling his soup dangerously, although no broth fell out. The arm in question had a familiar looking design poking out from Paro's shirt. Paro smiled, pulling up the sleeve of his t-shirt to reveal a dirt brown Fairy Tail guild mark.

"When did you join?" Mason asked eagerly. He had been shirtless in the Ragnarok prison cell, so he knew he wasn't already a member.

"My _sister_ convinced me." He said with a smile, emphasizing and speaking the word "sister" loudly. In what Mason now recognized as on cue, a familiar brown-haired female entered.

"Cana!" Mason exclaimed, elated to see another guildmate. He set the soup on a side table; all hopes of starting it banished, and slung his legs around the bed, letting them hit the floor.

Wordlessly, she wrapped him in a light hug, having been warned the dangers of bear hugs by Mira. Mason returned it, although confused. He had never overly associated with Cana, but she was acting like he was a good friend.

"Glad to have you back..." She breathed quietly. She broke the hug and snatched his hand before it could fall on the bed. She wrapped her soft fingers around it, felling it between her fingers as if it was clay she wished to shape.

"What happened?" she asked, moving her hands out of the way and revealing his scar.

Mason surprised himself by snatching his hand away and tucking it into his chest, a look of a cornered animal flashing across his face.

"Sorry." She muttered an apology, returning her hands to her sides.

"You see," Paro interrupted the awkward moment. "When we were young, our parents split up. I went with our father and Cana stayed with our mother. When Cana joined Fairy Tail, I still lived with Father. I would go on missions with him, but I wasn't a member of Fairy Tail. Ragnarok attacked my father and I several months ago, that's when I was captured."

"Gildarts told us you were dead..." She grabbed his arm and hugged her taller brother tightly.

"That's what he thought." Paro answered, wrapping the arm around her. "I can't wait until he gets back from his mission."

"Oh Mason, everyone will be so happy to know your awake!" Cana exclaimed, pulling away from her sibling and shooting out the door.

"You two _do_ look alike." Mason commented at her fleeing form.

"You know your other white-haired friend? The bartender one?" Paro ignored him, sitting back down.

"Mirajane." Mason answered.

"Yeah, her. You should thank her. She didn't leave your side since you got here. We all tried to drag her away, but she insisted that she didn't leave your side." He ran his fingers through each other slowly. "Kid, she was crying... lots... Do you know anything about that? I felt like I should have helped, but I didn't know what to do."

_Mirajane..._ Mason squinted his eyes, a foggy picture of her in this very same room shifting in and out of his focus. Was she sad? Happy? Was it a memory or just a realization?

His body stiffened. Faint breath against his lips, a soft touch against his forehead, a lingering tingle while shuffling feet sounded in the distance.

He exhaled and loosened his body, confused at the strange memory that had commanded his attention.

"Hey kid ... you there?" Paro snapped his fingers loudly in front of Mason's eyes.

"Yeah, I'm here. We were fighting Ragnarok, Mira and I, and I got captured. She still blames herself." He answered slowly.

"Still can't believe we got out." Paro muttered. "A greystone place like that..."

"Greystone?" Mason inquired.

"Yeah. It's the stuff the prison was made of. Don't you think I would have gotten out sooner? It's completely resistant to magic, nobody knows why."

Mason squinted again, reaching for his ever-failing memory. The last time he saw Sebastian, when he threatened he would come back one more time, and would kill him if he didn't give in. He shot a blast of light at the floor, but it didn't leave a scratch.

"Makes sense." Mason answered simply.

000

"Guys!" Cana exclaimed. She leaned on a table heavily, having sprinted to the main room. "Mason's awake!"

A intangible murmur went through the crowd, several yells erupted from different points in the crowd. From the lowest reaction, Laxus looking up momentarily before looking back down, to the craziest expressions, Dante hurdling tables to get to his room, everyone was happy, except for Mira.

Lisanna had been comforting her with increased trouble at a isolated table in the corner. At the mention of Mason, tears began to well in her eyes again. Lisanna spoke to her soothingly, but she moaned once and she was back at crying.

"Miss me?" A voice asked. Everyone died down instantly, looking to the source. Paro was walking slowly towards the guild hall with Mason's arm draped around his shoulders. The gravity mage walked cautiously; afraid another pain would split through his chest as it had when he first walked alongside Paro.

"Mason!" Dante screamed loudest, leaping over a table like a gazelle and bursting over to his friend. The guild erupted in agreement, although most not as extravagant.

"They wouldn't let me go and see you dammit. They only let me watch over you while you slept." He said, wrapping his arms around Mason. He curved his chest backwards, carefully not making contact.

"We had to tie him down, actually." Maryanna said, pulling beside him.

"Maryanna." Mason breathed, smiling at the sound of her soft voice. One arm left Dante and wrapped around her, pulling into a team hug.

"Mason, you idiot. I heard you jumped into a crowd of mages alone." Dante scolded playfully.

"Glad to see your alive too Dante." Mason chuckled in return.

"Oh!" Dante remembered suddenly. He pulled away form his two friends and took the sheath off his back, showing Mason the fine weapon.

"When'd you get that?" Mason asked, taking the fine weapon gently. "What's this, a spatha?"

"Yup. You know that card mage we fought at the party?" Dante began. Mason nodded, having been a spectator to the event. "I killed that fucker, stole his sword too."

"Mason." Before Mason could answer, Cana called for his attention and the bluenette and pinkette retreated. Cana led a short girl of about nine with blue hair towards him. "This is Wendy. She's the one who healed your wounds."

Mason lowered to a squat so he could look normally at the short girl. "Thank you Wendy." He smiled, showing her his hands. "You did a great job."

"I-it's no problem." The girl stuttered, looking away and fidgeting with her hands nervously.

Mason chuckled at the young girl's act of nervousness, rising to his full height.

"You're tall." She commented suddenly, bending her neck back to look at him.

"Mason!" Natsu and Gray approached him and he wrapped both of them in hugs.

"I'd better get that damn money, we did a fine job of protecting the mayor." Mason joked, making Natsu laugh.

"Mason." Erza said, yet another person calling his name for his attention. "I'm glad to see you're in good condition. I ap-pologize," Erza pursed her lips, blinking profusely. "For putting you in that position."

"Oh Erza, you softie!" Mason exclaimed, wrapping her in a bear hug. He tried to ignore the pain that her armor caused him and listen to everyone's laugh.

The crowd shifted and suddenly split, making room for a short person to enter its epicentre.

"Master." Mason breathed, smiling. He dropped Erza and ran over to the Guild Master.

"Mason, walk with me please." He said formally, Mason nodded eagerly and followed him outside.

"How are you feeling?' Makarov asked as they stepped outside. His hands held each other behind his back and he walked with a purpose.

"Just fine Master. I can't put pressure on my wounds though."

"Hmph." Makarov grunted. "You'll have to get Wendy to look at that for you." Mason nodded and they walked beside each other to a large city park. A large bridge. They were silent as they crossed the bridge, finding the entire park lacking a person.

"Son," He stopped at the peak of the bridge, turning to Mason. "I'd like to commend you for your bravery. I can't begin to imagine the horrid events that took place in your absence, but I think you deserve to know you were first in our minds the entire time.

"Thanks Master..." Mason answered awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Son, you know what I'm going to ask. Erza told me about what you knew, I'd just like to tell you that it is perfectly fine if you did tell-"

"You know what?" Mason smiled broadly, leaning against the side of the marble bridge. "I held through every agonizing moment of the hell-hole waiting to answer that question. To answer no, that I held strong, and to see if you'd be proud of me."

Makarov's lip quivered slightly as they slowly broke into a grin. "Of course I'm proud of you, _son_." Mason was surprised at his new name, but didn't mention it. "I'm glad you're in Fairy Tail, son. I think Fairy Tail is the place you belong."

"Master..." Mason smiled, rubbing his neck. "I don't know what to say."

"I can see it Mason." He answered, turning away. The back of his cloak was visible, revealing a fancy blue circle. "You have gone through much pain for your fellow guild members, and for that Ragnarok will pay. But for now, we must worry about you. Know forever that you're a proud member of the Fairy Tail family. Your pain is our pain, and your happiness is our happiness, it sheds off onto one another."

"Thank you, Master." Mason dropped onto a knee suddenly. He smiled like a maniac, he just couldn't help himself. "For letting me into Fairy Tail, I can't fathom how lucky I am to be part of such a family."

Mason couldn't help himself. He leaned over and hugged Master Makarov.


	16. Mason vs Sorcerer Weekly

"Ahh, the Fairy Tail guild." The woman smiled in satisfaction, eyeing the orange banner that hung above the large, oaken doors. She walked towards it, his white messenger bag bouncing against her hip. She stopped for a moment and raised her black camera to take a picture of the guild building.

After taking a successful snapshot, she threw open the guild doors.

"COOL!" She exclaimed, finding the guild in the middle of a brawl. As a reporter for Sorcerer Weekly, it was her job to get pictures and interviews for the magazine. It was Friday already and she needed something to fill a couple pages, hopefully the editing and printing process would be done before Wednesday, when the newest issue came out. She quickly took a picture of her first victim before approaching him.

"Natsu!" She pushed a microphone in the face of the Dragon Slayer, who was grappling an ice-make mage. "Why exactly do you hate Gray so much? Our sources say he is actually a very likeable man."

"Because you reporters are annoying!" He exclaimed, throwing the mage off him. Flames erupted around his hands and he launched after him.

"Because his reporters... are annoying..." she said aloud as she scribbled it down on a notepad, not even thinking about his answer.

"Elfman!" The large, burly man who was lifting two mages in the air felt the push of the microphone, followed by the_ click_ of a picture."Do you even lift?"

"What kind of question is that!?" He threw each of them in opposite directions. "Of course I do!"

"How much _can_ you lift!?" She said the question as a challenge, pencil and paper poised.

"Why five-hundred and-" He said proudly, flexing a bicep.

"Excuse me Mrs. Reporter woman," Lucy tapped her shoulder and waved when she got her attention. "I'm here! You don't have to look anymore!"

"Get lost Heartfilia." She waved her away, "Even you should know Sorcerer Weekly is strictly focused on male wizards." Lucy sweat-dropped before walking away slowly.

"Let's see, Gray!" She grabbed his shoulders and pulled him from the battle and into a chair. She blinded him monetarily by her large flash before sitting down beside him. "Our female fans are dying to know, do you actually strip without noticing?"

"Huh?" Gray asked, his shirt half off.

"COOL!" She exclaimed, scribbling furiously. Her long, blonde hair fell into her bent face, which she quickly blew away.

"What is the coolest thing you have ever made out of ice?" She asked, looking up from her paper.

"I made a sofa set once, it actually reclined." He offered with a shrug.

"And finally, are you currently available in the dating department?" She asked, following by a quiet squeal.

"NO!" Juvia came up from behind him and wrapped her arms around him, her breasts hanging in front of his face and covering it. "Gray-sama is mine!"

"_Yes_." He emphasised, holding Juvia away by her forehead. "I am currently single."

"Thank you for your time, it was very cool!" She shook his hand and got up. She observed the battle quickly, picking out her next target.

"I have time for one more interview..." She muttered, before squealing loudly. "A NEW FAIRY TAIL MAGE!"

"Huh?" Mason turned away from his battle, getting used to answering by "new mage". His distraction proved fruitful for Maryanna, who whipped hi in the face and sent him across the room and into the reporter.

"COOL! Sit down here!" She picked up Mason and practically threw him onto a wooden chair.

"Sorcerer Weekly is dying to now-"

"Who are you?" Mason interrupted.

"Hey! I was supposed to ask that!"

"Are you a mage here? What kind of magic do you do?' Mason asked, thinking she was a guildmate he had looked over.

"STOP STEALING MY QUESTIONS! I'M THE INTERVIEWER HERE!" She screamed furiously, making Mason hide in his chair.

"Sorcerer Weekly is the most popular wizarding magazine in Fiore. I am Jaclyn. Now, what is your name?"

"Mason Ludovic Marcotte." He introduced, offering his hand. She smiled at him and took it.

"What kind of magic do you use?"

"Gravity magic." He leaned back in his chair and raised a hand, making a mug float shakily into his hand.

"May I ask where your Fairy Tail guild stamp is?" She asked with a sly smile. Mason frowned momentarily. How could he show her? It was in his _eye_.

"I'll show you." He said. He lowered the gravity around him slowly; the use of magic sparked the projection to life in front of his eye.

"THAT. IS. COOL!" She exclaimed, scribbling so fast that a thing line of smoke rose from her paper.

"How long have you been in Fairy Tail?" She asked. He frowned and thought for a moment.

"Two weeks? Three?" He said hesitantly. _Had it really been that long? _She smiled devilishly and asked her favorite question.

"Well Mason, Fair Tail's newest member, are you single?"

"I'm gay." He said simply. She dropped her pencil and her jaw dropped. "I'm kidding!" Mason burst out laughing, loving to have tricked the ultimate of tricksters, magazine reporters. "Yes Jaclyn, I'm single."

"Oh," She smiled, scooting her chair a couple inches closer to him. "Good to hear."

"What do you see in a girlfriend?" She began a new string of answers.

"Hmm," Mason tapped his index finger against his cheek, "Someone that is original, that is their own person, not some faker who follows the latest trend. A sense of humor too, that's important."

"Nice, good answers, this is great material." She muttered as she scribbled down more. "Do you have any pets?"

"Yes actually. A squirrel monkey named Toby Keith." He gestured to Dante. The card mage reluctantly came over and gave him the small monkey.

"EEEEEEEEK!" She squealed, making everyone in the guild caver their ears. "He's so cute! Can I hold him!?"

"You may." Mason smiled and held out his arm. The small monkey slowly tight-rope walked across it before jumping into the reporters arms. She snuggled him lovingly until Mason snapped her out of it.

"What? Oh! Yes, the interview!" The monkey hopped onto her knee and jumped towards Mason. He held out his arm and the monkey caught it, climbing onto his shoulder.

"Are you part of a guild team?"

"Yes. Dante Atene, Maryanna Lux, and I are Team Unicorns are Mystical."

"Excellent. Great name." She muttered, back to scribbling.

"My sources say you are in love with Mirajane, is this true?" She asked.

"I thought you didn't know who I was?!" Mason exclaimed.

"In...Love...with...Mira." She said aloud as she wrote it down.

"What? No! "He defended.

"Who do you get along with from your guild?"

"My team, Synnova, Natsu, Erza and Mira mainly. Lisanna too, even though I don't know her very well. The guild is quite friendly; it's hard not to get along with anyone."

"Very... Friendly." She noted as she wrote that down.

"Does Elfman hate you for loving both of his sisters?"

"Next question."

"Where are you from?"

"Canada."

"Where?"

"Magnolia! I said Magnolia!"

"Do you think you'd be able to beat Natsu in a fight?"

"No way. Natsu is miles ahead of me."

"Modest, interesting. May I read your palms?" Mason frowned, but offered them. Only when she gasped did he realize his mistake.

"These scars! Where did you get them?"

"Nowhere." Mason said strictly, pulling them back. He didn't know whether the guild had kept it a secret or not, but he didn't want to leak it if they did.

"Were you in the fight against Ragnarok in Oak Town?" _So they do know_. Mason thought

"...Yes." he said reluctantly.

"Do you know the identity of the mage who was captured?"

"How do you know that!?" Mason erupted from his chair.

"Mason? Yeah, he fought Sebastian and lost, so he captured him." Maryanna piped from behind him, being ever-so-helpful.

"Thank you Maryanna! You're still our biggest supporter!" The reporter smiled at Maryanna. "Now, how did they give you those scars?"

_Makes sense, Maryanna has a mouth like a torn pocket, that's probably how they get all their secrets_. Mason thought.

"Torture." He said simply.

"Why did they torture you?" She asked.

"Because their evil." He answered quickly.

"Did you fight your way out?"

"Synnova saved him." Maryanna answered for him.

"Now, come with me." She got up.

"Where are we going?" He reluctantly followed her.

"Salamander! Titania!" She called out. Natsu and Erza broke free of the still-raging battle.

" Natsu, where are they taking us?" Mason asked quickly, wanting to know before he left his guild building

"To a photo shoot. You're coming? Cool!"

"A photo shoot?"

"Oh don't worry," Erza tried to comfort. "You have the attitude of a model. You'll be great."

"Did you just call me gay?"

000

Mason and Natsu stood waiting in the male section of the change rooms. Mason was nervous as hell, while Natsu was relaxing against a locker.

"So, they like male models?" Mason asked, trying to make conversation.

"Yeah. Since there like four girls for every guy, male pictures are way more popular."

"Do we really need to wear these?" Mason looked down. The first set of photos was to be taken in a tight, stretchy, black shirt, a leather jacket and pants that hugged his legs.

"Yup. They are taking them on a motorcycle or something."

"Oh god, why am I doing this?" Mason tried to remind himself.

"Because it pays 10,000 Jewels a photo."

"Oh yeah. That's why."

000

"Mason, the Scarred Force Mage!" The photographer called, holding his camera sideways and snapping pictures furiously. Mason leaned back a little more, using the handles of the chopper to hold himself up.

_I'm pretty sure he made that up on the spot._ Mason thought. It took every ounce of his will not to spit out the lit cigarette he had in his mouth. They insisted he puff on it for these photos, but it tasted like he was sucking on a dirty sock.

_How do people get addicted to these things?_

Mason rolled his hands further forward on the handles, showing the scars on the back of his hands as the photographer recommended.

"Alright, now puff up the collar a bit." Another person on-set asked. Mason stood up and adjusted his collar before leaning back again. He laughed inwardly at the different styles of this world. If his dad saw him, he would say that he looked like a Backstreet Boy. Of course he had no idea what he was talking about, but Mason's Dad always made him laugh no matter what.

"Stop smiling! You're cool, not happy!" Someone scolded. Mason wiped away the sad smile that had crept onto his face and replaced it with a cool, collected look.

"Alright, that's enough. Titania!" He called on Erza and she strolled out slowly.

She wore black boots that loudly announced her arrival. On her legs, she wore a full body crimson biking suit that she didn't wear on her upper body; she let it fall down against her legs. Other that hat, she only wore a black bra.

"_Hi Erza_!" He said quietly, his voice cracking loudly.

"Mason, I believe that's my bike now." She instructed firmly, putting any dominatrix to shame.

"Yes ma'am!" He scuttled off and took a place in the corner by Natsu. After eagerly squishing his cigarette under his boot, he watched Erza during her photo shoot.

If she wasn't a mage, Era should have been a model.

Mason found himself drooling and staring like a ten year old as Erza slowly grinded against the seat of the motorcycle, stretching backwards so her black bra was as visible as possible.

Mason looked away quickly, she was his guildmate. Erza as more of an older sister to him.. Plus it was Erza; if she caught him looking she would probably skin him with a dull spoon.

"How do I look?" Erza challenged. Mason looked up and was surprised to find her there, her photo shoot already done. He didn't answer, quickly averting his gaze.

"What?" Her voice took on a surprisingly worried tone. "Is something wrong? Do I look bad?"

"No Erza, you look great. Really great actually..." Mason answered nervously, causing Erza to immediately smirk and take advantage of the situation.

"Of course I do." She said, putting a hand behind her neck and striking a pose.

"Everyone change, beach scene next!" Mason's eyes widened and he gulped.

000

"I don't know if I should Natsu..." Mason muttered, looking down at his bare chest. "I'm not strong like you or Gray, I don't have muscles."

"Hey, it's alright! Everyone's different!" Natsu patted him on the back comfortingly.

"That's not what I'm worried about though..." Mason muttered, looking down. Natsu took on a serious demeanour as he saw the cause of Mason's discomfort.

A large, pink burn scar covered Mason's chest. The middle of it was exactly where his ribcage split, it stretched nearly to his nipples. Its shape was somewhere between a star and a blast mark, large spikes protruding from it. It was pink and shiny, its texture was smooth as if it was stretched tightly. Small, wire-like lines ran outward on it, tracing nonsensical designs.

"It's ugly. I'll talk to the photographer about it-"

"No!" Natsu interrupted firmly. "You got those scars defending Fairy Tail! You should be displaying them with pride!"

Mason stepped back, surprised by Natsu's sudden outburst. He had a point though; he should have pride in the scar, not disgust. Hell, he got his hands nailed to a wall! He took a fireball to the chest! They were medals of his courage.

"Alright Natsu," Mason looked up from his chest and smiled. "Let's go."

"Good." Natsu slapped him playfully on the shoulder. "They make you look tough anyway." He added with a girn.

Natsu smiled at him back and patted him on the back, leading him out. Realization tickled at Mason's mind, Natsu was acting alot like an older brother to him. People had told him about Natsu's past, he never had a brother. Did the dragon slayer somehow think of him as a younger brother?

When Mason and Natsu walked out of the room, the set had changed alot. The motorcycle was gone, sand now covered the floor. There was volleyball net on one end, as well as an umbrella and chair. Natsu and Mason wore red and green swimming trunks.

"Mason!" Someone who looked in charge waved him over. "You need a cover name. Titania, Salamander, what's your? Pick one now."

Mason frowned and furrowed his eyebrows, thinking. HE wanted a cool one, but he was worried being put on the spot would force him to give a lame one.

_You messed up on names once when you got here, time to get it right._

"How about Hawkeye? I can almost soar like a hawk and my guild mark is on my eye." Mason suggested.

"PERFECT!" The same person scribbled furiously, a skill apparently all of Sorcerer weekly had mastered, before pointing him over to the set.


	17. Mermaid Gifts Require Tongue

"Not that I'm complaining, but why are all the girls wearing everything so skimpy?' Mason asked; eyeing a girl whose bikini top looked like it had more use as a ribbon. She lay on the soft sand of the beach on a blue towel, reading a book.

"With so little boys, they'll do whatever they can to attract one." Dante answered simply, eyeing a brunette who was jumping around in the shallow water.

"C'mon Paro." Cana giggled playfully, tugging on her brother's arm. "Let's go swimming."

"Alright." Paro agreed, walking over to the water with her.

"Brother..." She giggled, pointing towards his chest. "You have to take your shirt off."

"I can't." He snapped sharply, making Cana recoil slightly.

"Oh c'mon, don't be a poor sport." She teased, regaining composure.

"Cana, no." He repeated his opinion, shaking off her clingy arm.

"What's your problem?" Cana demanded, moving her hands to her hips.

"Drop it Cana." He growled, turning away from her.

"Alright guys." Mason got up and stretched. "I think I'm gonna go for a nice, long swim." Everyone acknowledged him with either a word or a simple grunt.

He walked slowly on the silky white sand, watching the girls as they past.

"Hey there." He turned to a cute blonde girl, winking at her.

"Oh... hi." The girl said, turning away and blushing with a small smile. She wore a modest, sky-blue bikini that her small breasts struggled to fill.

"Mind if I find you after I go for a swim?" Mason smiled at her broadly. The girl's eyes widened the size of saucers and her mouth fell open.

"Uh-uh Yes! I'd like that alot! I-I'll wait for you!" She shook her head up and down frantically, patting a place beside her on her towel.

"Sounds good." Mason flashed on more smile before turning and running towards the water. He jumped forward, swan-diving into the clear water.

_WHAT THE!?_ Mason looked down, seeing the ocean floor about thirty feet down. He had barely swum out! He turned to see where he came and saw a sharp cliff.

_Well that explains it_.

Mason came up for breath quickly before diving down, exploring the bottom of the ocean. It was surprisingly rocky, small corals grew among the spikes and fish darted in between the rocks.

Mason swam eagerly along the top of them, watching the fish as they swam. A particularly large, blue fish came up to him suddenly, their noses almost touching. The fish hovered there momentarily before twisting its body and shooting off. Even underwater, Mason smiled.

He casually swam up for air. His head broke the water and he breathed air, which now tasted delicious on his tongue. He looked down again determined to do another long dive.

The moment he dipped his head underwater, he saw it. A large pillar of rock fell slowly, its thin base finally giving way. Small fish darted out of its path. He saw a rather large fish flutter around its base, but it suddenly stopped and didn't move. Curious, Mason swam down there. By the time he was there, the dust was relatively cleared, so he could see the "fish".

Mason did not gasp, but his eyes widened as they landed on the mermaid in front of him.

She was serene, the epitome of beauty and everything lovely. Long, blonde hair flowed around her teenaged face similar to a mane. It was funny really; her face shone like the sun and her golden locks imitated rays, flying out in every direction. Around her neck was a red coral necklace, tipped with a pendant shell in the shape of a fish. She wore an intricate, pink corset, decorated with shells and bits of coral. It bent out forward to make room for her overly large breasts.

_That's some serious drag underwater_. Mason joked inwardly, eyeing her cleavage.

The corset stopped at her waist, where scales appeared and her body morphed into a thick blue tail. It ended when it split into two, long fins.

For the first time, Mason noticed her situation. The large rock pillar had fallen on a section of her tail and she was pinned. She frantically reached for it, but she couldn't bend that way from her position on her stomach. Her eye's met his and he nearly fainted.

They were a beautiful glacier blue, the color of water when light reflected off of it. They were gentle, like the slightest creek current, but they were pleading with him.

He shook himself out of his daze and swam down to the pillar, his breath already fading. He grabbed it and used it to pull himself down, quicker than swimming in the low-gravity environment.

He planted his feet firmly and grabbed the bottom of the pillar, slowly lifting it. God was it heavy though, the tendons in his neck stuck out as he struggled. His face turned red, and soon even his vision became red around the edges. Small blotches appeared and he knew it was now or never.

He pressed his hands on it and a moss-green magic seal appeared on it, lessening the gravity. It floated lazily upward to the surface.

The mermaid snatched onto his hand, pulling him towards her where she kissed him.

Mason's eyed widened as her voluptuous lips met his. Of all times, _now_ he was getting action. She retreated her head and smiled at him, a strange weight lifting off his chest. Mason sighed in relief, smiling.

Wait, he _sighed_?

Mason suddenly realized he was breathing normally underwater! He could feel the water as it ran down his throat, but he felt no effect as he exhaled it normally.

"What have you done to me?" Mason asked. His vocal chords warped the water as it would air, making speaking underwater perfectly normal.

"I have given you a mermaid's thanks."She answered. Her voice was soft and welcoming, like running soft silk through your fingers. "And thank you indeed. You almost died trying to save me."

"I was fine." Mason answered causally, but she was right. The surface had been twenty feet up and he had been in no shape to swim to it.

She laughed at his answer and he cringed. Her laugh was contrast to her voice, a sharp, annoying sound like wet stones sliding over each other.

"What is your name, cutie?" She asked, back to her soft voice.

"My name is Mason." He smiled at her, still not believing who he was talking to.

"I am known as Nerin, daughter of the sea." The mermaid fluttered her tail, spinning around him slowly. "You don't see many men here." Nerin cooed, returning to his vision. "Even less cute ones."

Mason smiled at that, imagining the situation when he got back.

"_Sorry I was gone. I met a mermaid, god those things are flirts." He would say to Dante._

"You used Magic." She remembered, looking at the fallen rock pillar.

"I am a gravity mage, from Fairy Tail." He announced, the words dripping with pride.

"Fairy tail?" She brought her fin to her face and it tapped against her cheek in thought, the way a finger might. "I think I know of them. A guild, right? You can hear what people near the water are talking about down here."

"Yes, the best guild there is." He answered proudly.

"You know..." Nerin swam closer to him, ignoring his last stamen. Her fin acted as an extra long arm and snuck behind his back, pushing him closer to the mermaid gently. "I have a generous proposition for you."

"Proposition?" Mason said skeptically. He reached back and placed a hand on the silky tail, pushing it away form his back.

"Humans and mermaids aren't that different." She began, Mason eyed her tail skeptically. "I know a man; he's a mer-friend, an elderly fisherman by the name of Ton. He can male several cuts of your neck that act as gills!"

"Are you asking...?" Mason trailed off, shocked.

"We mermaids take our favors seriously. You could come live with me in the great city Un'dear. You'd be very popular with the ladies, and there would be no Overworld struggle." Mason pursed his lips, actually considering her offer. It sounded great, no crime, no troubles, no poverty, no sadness, and no evil, just peaceful water. "A human has not visited Un'dear for any centuries, you'd be a welcome member of our king's court."

Mason looked at her, shocked and taken aback. The king's court? That was incredible! He could become a very important person just by being human!

"Nerin..." he said slowly, his smile fading. "It's a great offer generous and kind, just like you. I have to turn it down with a heavy heart. I have a family here, people who care about me. I couldn't just leave them..." Mason trailed off, suddenly remembering them.

"I should probably go back up. My friends will think-"Mason tried to explain.

"No." She said sternly, snatching his wrist. "This is my domain and you saved me; I insist you come with me. You atleast deserve a gift, a token of my gratitude. I'll tell your comrades you will be awhile."

"Alright, as long as they know." Mason nodded.

"Great!" Nerin squealed, grabbing his hand now. "Now I can give you my thanks."

"How would you go by that?" Mason muttered, eyeing where the crotch on a normal woman would be.

"Come with me!" Nerin said excitedly. With a thrust of her thick tail, she was spinning off. Mason dragged behind; like a rag doll, fluttering like a ribbon out a window as she swam off. With a grunt, he applied some gravity magic and sent himself shooting forward at about the same speed as her.

Nerin turned to him, smiling. "Here, my friend can help us out." She turned abruptly, making Mason catch a sudden current of water. He doubled the magic around him with clenched teeth and shot after her as she made for the ocean floor.

"Here." Nerin stopped just as abruptly. Mason shot past her, but she kept a firm hold on him and stopped him. He got a good load of whiplash, but he stopped and slowly followed her to wherever she was leading him.

"My friend is here." Nerin slowly fluttered over to a large calm. Like, huge. Overall, it was about the size of Mason's torso.

"Oh Tokka!" She sung, knocking on its hard shell.

"You can talk... to clams." Mason said skeptically. Despite his doubts, the clam shot open.

"Thanks buddy! I'll just need one this time." She reached inside the open mouth of the clam and fished around for awhile, before she pulled out with a clamped fist. She closed the clam the way one might close a trunk and offered her fist to Mason. Light seeped through her fingers and her hand glowed momentarily before it dimmed back down to nothing.

"Here, _Mason_." She sung, putting seductive emphasis on his name. She opened her hand, revealing a glossy pearl the size of a marble.

"Oh my god!" Mason gasped, taking it slowly.

"That's no ordinary pearl. It has the touch of a mermaid; it has felt my essence and will always remember it. Any holder will be able to feel a special connection, a bond with _me_." She purred, smiling at him seductively.

"I-I can't believe it." Mason said, looking at the pearl. He was 90% sure a mermaid just asked him to date her in a long-distance relationship.

"We merfolk are a people of honor. I'll be forever in your debt." She winked at him, smirking.

"I-"Mason suddenly choked, water became foreign again and he was drowning with both his lungs full of water. Nerin's eyes widened in concern and she shot over to him, kissing him firmly.

Mason breathed again with relief once he could actually breathe again.

"Hanks Nerun." He muffled through her lips. "Okay... that's enough. You can stop... I'm pretty sure your _gift_ doesn't require tongue..."

After that comment, she shot back blushing.

"Maybe I should go with you, but keep you around so you'd have to kiss me every ten minutes?" Mason pushed the subject further, making her blush in a cute way.

"Thanks for the ... I still can't believe it. I don't entirely know what it means though." He admitted.

"It means we will be there for each other." She said slowly pushing him away from her.

"Wait Nerin-"

"Remember Mason of Fiore, all waters meet, not matter wher0e and no matter how long." With that, shot knocked him hard with her tail. He shot through the water like a bullet, his mouth flapped furiously as he increased speed. With an amazing amount of pain, he slammed into the cliff he had seen when he first hopped in the water. Now crawling, he dragged himself out of the water and slowly onto land.

"Mason!" Natsu recognized him and shot towards him, helping him up. "Where were you?"

"Swimming," He grunted painfully. "Did you somehow know I'd be gone? Some kind of message?"

"Um yeah... A fish." Natsu said slowly.

"A fish?" Mason asked in disbelief.

"It talked, saying that 'Mason of Fiore' would be underwater for an extended visit. Everyone thought it was some sort of joke." He explained. With that, Mason got up and walked over to the blonde.

"What are you doing?" Natsu yelled at the fleeing from.

"Sticking to human girls!" Mason explained with a smirk, plopping himself on the towel of the girl.

"Hey you!" He said, catching her attention.

"Oh, hi! You took so long, I thought you weren't coming, But I'm glad you're here now!" She smiled at him.

"Sorry. Saved a mermaid's life, got forced into a long-distance not-relationship relationship, long story."


	18. Departure Pt 1

Mason's fist flew forward before reaching an obstruction, making a low _thumf_ sound. His other fist flew forward as he pulled the other one back. He continued at a steady pace, clenching his muscles to go harder even though they began to pain him.

Stop.

Breath.

He looked out at the early morning sun for a moment.

Fist flies back into his propped mattress out of anger, back at it again.

He lowered the gravity around himself and rapidly jabbed the bedding he had leaned against his room wall. The sounds came in quicker and quicker succession until it nearly became a single noise. Mason stopped, taking a step back.

His knuckles were numb from the punching. He had never really worked out back on Earth, and he wasn't exactly an MMA fighter, so the soreness of his muscles and pain from his knuckles was all new to him. Sweat coursed down his shirtless body, revealing his large, pink burn scar.

His eyes glazed over his current enemy, a floral-pattern mattress. Slowly, a too-familiar face appeared in front of the fabric, the work of Mason's imagination. A neat comb over focused first, followed by peach skin, twinkling eyes and a calculated, but confident smirk.

Mason yelled, punching the mattress twice so hard, he may as well have punched right through it to the wall. He jumped up, spinning and bringing a firm knee into the face of Sebastian before landing solidly. He looked for the Light Mage again, but growled when the coward had fled.

He immediately returned to the mattress, this time adding his knee's and elbow's into the quick flurry of attacks.

The creak of a door announced Dante's presence. He walked over with Toby Keith perched on his shoulder, watching Mason for awhile before speaking.

"You know... if you don' like the flowers we can just change them, no need to beat them up." He commented with his famous smirk.

"Funny." Mason said blandly, slamming his right elbow into the mattress before a series of quick jabs.

"Seriously... what are you doing?" Dante asked, almost nervous at the strange action. Even Toby skittered with anxiety from atop his head.

"Getting stronger." Mason grunted simply, not ending his attacks to say the sentence as simply as 'breathing oxygen'. "You guys don't exactly have Bowflex's."

"What?"

"Never mind." A seal twirled below Mason's feet before he punched the mattress with extra force, making his knuckle crack. He cradled his hand and seethed slowly, stepping away.

"What's got you so obsessed?" Dante pressed further, snatching his hand from him to look at the knuckle.

"I'm weak." He spat hatefully, snatching the hand back with a small wince of pain.

"Don't be like that." Dante nearly pleaded, flopping down on Mason's bed.

"This isn't some self-confidence issues Dante, I'm serious." Mason growled. Dante shot a questioning look at his friend, wondering why he was acting so strangely.

"I fought worse than a kitten at the ball. I can't stand against a basic mage Dante, your worth a hundred of me." Mason explained, getting up to punch the mattress again.

"Mason!" Dante snapped sharply, surprising Mason. Toby hopped off Dante and covered his eyes, not used to the yelling. Dante grabbed Mason's elbow and whirled him around to face him. "Listen to me..." he said, returning to his soothing tone.

"You've only lived for about three months; don't expect to be a master. Determination will help you get stronger, but that doesn't mean killing yourself. You've got spirit and confidence; I know that you'll be able to..." His voice suddenly dropped to a whisper, realizing something. "This is about Ragnarok, isn't it?"

"I need to pull my own weight." Mason admitted, not trying to hide anything anymore. "I put half guild in danger; I'm tired of being deadweight!"

"Listen!" Dante demanded, slammed a boot into the floor. He waited until he had complete silence to continue. "Erza? Natsu? Gray? Those guys have been doing magic since they were seven, seriously. You're acting reckless Mason, just calm down. You're not deadweight."

"Oh shut up." Mason grumbled, looking out the open window. "I'm not stupid; so don't pull the wool over my eyes. I'm deadweight, useless. If I wouldn't have got into trouble, we might not be in this deep with Ragnarok, you guys had to attack their headquarters to save me. Less people would be injured,-"

"You're sounding like a teenage girl dammit!" Dante snapped. His patience had all but depleted with Mason's new attitude. "You want to know the truth? You're different. I don't know what's wrong with you, in a handful of months you're almost at my level, which I achieved over nearly the same amount of years. You're learning at a pace like crazy."

"So I'm a freak?' Mason pointed out, making Dante yell out in frustration.

"That's not what I meant and you know it! You need to chill down, because you're being a fucking jackass!" Dante yelled.

"I'm going for a walk." Mason turned and walked to the window without further explanation. He placed both feet on the sill and shot off. Dante didn't bother worrying; he knew he couldn't kill himself out a window if he wanted to.

He went out of the room and grabbed his key, grumbling all the while. The door shut behind him and he locked it before setting off into Magnolia.

000

"You didn't get very far." Dante stated calmly, walking over to him. He was exactly where he thought he would be, on the guild roof. Mason didn't bother asking "how'd you know?" and got down to what had been bugging his mind.

"Stop." Mason said, and Dante obliged. He stood standing, about twenty feet away. Mason got up slowly and faced Dante.

"Prove it Dante." Mason cracked his knuckles and faced his friend with a dark look on his face. "Fight me. Test my strength."

Dante nodded slowly, accepting the challenge. He pulled out his card pack and summoned his cards to their usual state. Before he could tuck away the empty case, they were all hovering around him in a blue dome, each encircled by a blue flame.

"Don't take it easy on me, dammit." Mason grumbled. His eye flashed green and he pounced at Dante without warning.

Dante expertly manoeuvred his applying cards, forming them thickly where Mason's knee hit his dome solidly. It may as well have hit stone.

Mason stayed in the air, swinging another foot and hitting farther to the right, but it was also blocked. Mason frantically jabbed at the shield, using his mastered mattress-technique. Much to his frustration, Dante expertly blocked every attack.

"Fight me!" Mason ordered, lowering himself to the ground. To his surprise, Dante obliged. The cards separated and the mage walked towards him slowly.

His hand snapped forward, sending a card hurtling at Mason. It quickly grew into a huge diamond, aimed for his heart. Mason threw his hands apart, disrupting the gravity in front of him into an intangible jumble of gravitational fields. The card hovered in mid air, bouncing around and spinning before falling to the ground.

"You hide behind your cards, fight me!" Mason ordered again, flipping sideways and throwing Dante backwards with his flailing feet. Dante tried to keep his feet on the roof, but they caught and it sent him tumbling backwards.

"Card Magic!" Dante announced, swiping his hand through the air before fanning out a hand of chosen cards. "Diamond Hail!" He threw them into the air, each of the turning into a form of sparkling blue energy shaped like the regular diamond. They dropped suddenly in midair before pointing at Mason and assailing him.

Mason carefully spun, barely grazing one of his palms as he deflected it. He flipped upside down onto his hands, bending his legs awkwardly so that three of the diamonds would barely miss him. He finished by back flipping, something he could never do before Gravity Magic, and solidly kicking a diamond out of the way.

Mason held his arms in a strange pose. One straight out, one palm placed on the elbow. He moved them rapidly over each other, like a high-speed Macarena, before slapping his palms together. A ball of green energy enveloped them both and he made to throw it at Dante, making it emit a thick beam of energy.

Dante widened his eyes at the powerful attack. _That_ he did not expect. He grabbed three spades cards out of his dome and held them in a fan, making them glow blue. The beam struck his dome solidly, it did not deflect, but rather it was absorbed into the dome, resonating with a bright light. Dante gripped the flimsy cards tighter, bending them and disfiguring them. He let out a breath he didn't realize he held and veered to the side, dropping the cards. The beam shot past him, dangerously close, and ended when it hit one of the spires pointing up from the roof.

Mirajane casually walked towards the guild. She was usually the first one there and would unlock it and prepare for the coming day. She frowned when she spotted the two mages duking it out on the roof. Mason and Dante never seemed like a Gray and Natsu bromance where they constantly fought.

She calmed her worrying near instantly; this _was _Fairy Tail after all. Still frowning slightly, she unlocked the guild and entered.

Mason's secret to fighting with strength was hate. Pure and utter hate. His mind had already plastered the best memory he had of Sebastian on Dante's face and now he fought with all he had.

He didn't even notice Mirajane as she passed below; he was too busy leaping in the air, doing a spinning-flying jump kick in Dante's direction. The kick landed solidly overtop of Dante's head, but he managed to cross his arm's in an X and blocked it. He threw his forearms out, sending Mason spinning.

Mason growled at his lack of progress, ending a beam of energy at his best friend, Dante front-flipped over it lazily. Taking the extra time the cocky act had given him, Mason gravity-leapt forward and met Dante in the air.

He threw his fist forward, but date caught it in his outstretched hand and threw his own punch, which Mason dodged and grabbed.

The two Mages growled at each other, tugging back and forth even as they landed on the roof.

"A right hook! Give 'em a right hook Dante!" Wakaba called out from below, chuckling as he entered the guild.

"Shut up you stoner." Dante growled, swinging a quick knee into Mason's chest. Mason gasped, falling to one knee. He clutched desperately at his healing scar tissue, which Dante had struck firmly.

Worry flashed across Dante's face and he released his friend.

"I told you to give me your all, dammit!" Mason growled, standing up slowly. He had known of his injuries when he entered the fight, he would have to deal with them throughout.

Taking him by surprise, Mason swept his legs out from under his and shot his fist up, upper cutting him perfectly under the chin. Dante shot through the air, off the roof and onto the ground in front of the guild.

The dust cleared and Dante got to his feet with difficulty, revealing a small crater where he landed.

"That was dirty." He announced, wiping a trickle of blood from his lip. The person he was talking to slowly floated down before hitting the ground mid-stride.

He punched his fists together, summoning a green hue to surround them, flaring like a strange-colored flame. He leapt at him, bringing his fists back and uttering a low war cry.

Mason stopped an inch before reaching Dante. He flung out his glowing hands desperately, but they reached a frustrating inch before Dante's face. He was suddenly lifted off the ground, as well as his fight partner. The redhead holding both of them frowned, definitely not satisfied with their actions.

"How many times do I have to say it..." Erza growled. The two mages ignored her, still flailing out their arms like children although she held them by the scruff like two kittens. "This Guild Hall is your house as we are your family; you must treat it with likewise respect. I will not condone any fighting in my presence, got that?"

She met both their eyes, shooting a dangerous glare. For once, they ignored it and simply waited for her to put them down.

000

The guild doors burst open and Mason went flying through the air against his will. His back connected with a table and he toppled over it, knocking into several chairs before getting to his feet.

"That was sneaky you bastard!" Mason bellowed to someone unseen outside.

"It's called fighting! Everyone else has just taken it easy on you, you weakling!" Dane bellowed. Through the doors came a huge, glowing, blue spike aimed for Mason's heart. He placed both hands on it and dug in his heels, it still pushed him across the guild. It stopped at the bar table, where it beached like a whale and pinned Mason under it.

Mason looked up, seeing the underside of Mirajane's breasts and her smiling face.

"Hey Mira." He grunted, bringing up his knees and pushing the paralyzing pillar off.

"Hey Mason." She said, attempting a half-hearted smile.

He ignored the acknowledgment and leapt at the person who had been an outlet for his feelings. He was met with another pillar, which he threw off course with a good dose of gravity. He caught sight of Dante finally entering the guild.

"Hold still this time!" Mason exclaimed, raising a hand. Moss green energy gathered around his hand and he raised it to strike.

The sound of bodies hitting the floor sounded suddenly, and Mason and Dante lay on the floor. They both dozed heavily, violet Z's coming from the corner of their mouths.

Makarov hooped off his perch after completing the spell. He tapped both of their skulls with his staff until he was satisfied they were in fact asleep.

"I don't know what had those two riled up like that, they were sure going at it." He grunted.

"Oh master," Lisanna giggled, washing the bar table while Mira moped behind it. "The better friends they are, the more they fight."

"I probably just worry too much." He nodded. "They'll be awake in a couple hours, someone bring them back to their house."


	19. Departure Pt 2

Mason slowly packed his things into a small bag. Light clothing that takes up little room, Paro had told him. He had transferred all the information needed to Mason on the communication lacrima several minutes ago.

He packed one last t-shirt, running his hand over top of it to take out the wrinkles. He placed it on top and zipped the bag anti-climatically.

Was he doing it? Was he actually leaving with Paro? Ragnarok was raging angry and the guild needed every mage they could, but he wasn't much good anyway.

_This trip was for the better_ He tried to convince himself. _I wouldn't be of any use, hell I'm doing Fairy Tail a favor._

It broke his heart, not saying bye. He imagined Maryanna, Synnova, Natsu, Gray, Erza, Mirajane, the entire guild smiling at him, and he was leaving without talking to a single one. They deserved better.

_Dante_

That was the one who worried him the most. He was afraid that if he ran into Dante, he wouldn't be able to bring himself to leave.

He rose to his feet, but his heart fell when he heard familiar footsteps.

"What are you doing?!" Dante demanded, bursting in through the doorway. Toby Keith clutched onto his hair tightly, using it as a grip.

"God dammit, why couldn't you have just found the note?" Mason breathed a curse. Dante's eyes glanced over, seeing a yellow piece of paper with writing on it.

"Mason... are you leaving?" Dante said slowly.

"Yes. I'm leaving." He answered, forcing himself to stay strong.

'What the-!? You can't leave! You inconsiderate, uncaring jerk! This is your guild!"

"I've made my choice Dante." Mason answered firmly.

"You're injured! You're just going to leave, no explanation, no nothing?"

"You deserve an explanation, you really do." Mason said slowly. "But I can't explain it Dante, I have to go."

"You're a jackass." Dante growled.

"I'm the jackass?' Mason erupted. "What about you and Maryanna? How long have you been trying to slip that by me?"

"You leave her out of this!"

"You've got some explaining to do alter..." Mason growled threateningly.

"...That's it?' Dante's lip quivered suddenly. "You're just going to leave? I'm your friend, you never thought of how I'd feel?"

Mason grimaced, his own eyes feeling pressure. He couldn't take it, he jumped out the window.

He spread his body out spread-eagle, slowing his descent with the help of some gravity magic. He landed solidly, running down the Magnolia street.

"Dammit." Dante muttered, retreating from the now-broken window. He grabbed the nearest lacrima and called the guild, having Mirajane answer.

"What's up Dante?" She said blandly.

"It's Mason. He's leaving Fairy Tail, he's not thinking straight. You have to stop him."

000

"Synnova!" Maryanna scolded, staffing in the doorway of her house.

"Oh, hey Maryanna." Synnova acknowledged blandly, getting up and going over to the fridge, wearing only underwear.

"Where have you been, we haven't seen you since the dance!"

Synnova stopped her hand on the fridge handle. She knew why, but Maryanna didn't. The place of her old guild had brought back memories, bad memories. She had barely eaten, slept or done anything since then. She was ashamed, ashamed to be part of such a thing that hurt her new guild.

If anyone knew, she'd be kicked out for sure. Only Master knew, and she was keeping it that way.

_Mason_. Her mind automatically piped in the name at the subject. Her heart slowly fell down into her gut. _Mason._

She felt so guilty; it weighed on the heart, brought tears to her eyes and a blade to-

She looked down, making sure her wrists were pressed against er body and the inside of them was invisible.

She had tortured people in Ragnarok... She had been torturing friends, family. Did they all feel hate towards her like she did when she saw Mason's injuries?

"I've been sick." She lied. "Sorry, I should have told someone."

000

Mason heard the plate armour rubbing against itself. He heard the metal boots clicking against the marble walkway. He even heard Erza's breathing, but he didn't stop.

"Mason." She called out his name firmly, but he did not answer. He kept walking, bag slung over his shoulder.

"Mason!" She repeated, shooting past him and appearing in front of his. He forced himself to remain firm and pushed past her as if she was a lamppost.

"Stop, that's an order." She rushed past him again, requipped a sword. She flung it in front of his chest, blocking his path with cold hard steel.

"What have you got that sword out for Erza? Are you gonna kill me?" He never gave her a chance to answer, quietly chuckling with no humor before he continued.

"Do it." He breathed the two words suddenly. He set his jaw firmly and he snatched the sword blade, lifting it so it pointed at his heart. "Do it Erza!"

"Mason?" She said, but it wasn't venomous. Its sharp edges were dulled with concern at his words. "Just come with me, don't make it hard. Please."

"Makarov probably sent you on purpose." He seethed. "He knew you'd be able to bring me back. You told him, didn't you?"

"I-"she began to defend herself.

"How could you!" He erupted. "I trusted you! That's how he knew we shared something different, a secret. What was _supposed_ to be a bond!"

"He's my master!" She countered. "Our master. _Your_ master. I thought you would see reason and understand, he's the closest thing you have to a father right now."

"I'm sorry Erza, but I can't go back right now. Not for Master, not for anyone." He said. "Sorry..." He added quietly.

"Mason, I don't want to be in this position but I will accept my duty. If you don't come with me, I will stop you from continuing." She said formally, stepping in front of him fully.

"Stop me!" He screamed before laughing maniacally. "Stop me High and Mighty Erza! You think I care about all this intimidation crap? You think I care about your _wrath_?"

Erza whipped out her hand and struck him across the face. Her gauntlet cut open a small line on his cheekbone. Mason recoiled, slowly bringing his head back to its original position.

"Now you'd strike me? Your _duty_ is to strike at your friend?" Mason asked in a whisper, his hand placed on his cheek where she struck him.

"You're starting to lose those privileges Mason! Don't make this personal." She growled, gripping her sword.

"You want to strike me?" He pointed at his red cheek. "Here's the other one." He stated, turning his face and showing her his virgin cheek.

"Hit me! Hit me Erza!" he held his hands back and stuck out his neck, offering no defense. "Pain's all I know anymore..." He ended in a mutter, his face scrunched into a grimace.

"Give me pain, or do me the favor of ending it Erza." He said finally, facing her straight on.

"Mason, you are making no sense. Master will take it easy on you, just come willingly."

"Pain! That's what I'm talking about!" He bellowed loudly. "Weren't you a little surprised Mason made a damn good recovery after being TORTURED! I'm fucked up Erza! I've been ripped away from everything I've ever known, everything I've secured for 16 years! I've lost everything! Friends! Family! The only place I've called home! Now the people I call friends turn on me, it seems I've lost them too. All I have left are my morals! Me! Mason! That's all! If you want to stop me from going on, do it. Take that too, it's the last thing I have." He held out his arms. "Take it Erza! Tie my wrists! Take the last thing I have or use that blade and finish the job."

"Mason, you have alot more than nothing. I understand you're going through many things right now."

"No you don't!" Mason screamed, not letting her speak again. Tears began to well in his eyes as he yelled his complaint."You have no idea what it's like! I miss my family Erza! I miss my friends! I miss my room! I miss visiting my brother's grave. I miss hockey, I miss football. I miss camping. I miss casual conversation! I miss farming with my dad! I miss cooking with my mom! I miss Saturday night hockey! I miss everything and anything..." He fell to his knees in defeat. "You don't understand Erza, I'm a wreck. I got tore out of everything I've known my entire life and dropped into the lion's den of this dimension."

"Mason, it's alright." She fell to her knees beside him, a kinder demeanor falling over her. "You've been through lots. The important thing is that you use it to further yourself. They say the stronger a person is the more pain they've gone through." She clasped his wrist and hauled him to his feet. "If you play your cards right, you might be strong enough for S-class someday."

Mason wiped his eyes with his forearm. "I'm sorry Erza, but I can't go back. I have to leave."

Erza face dropped. To Mason's surprise, it sunk even further to sorrow. "Why!? I don't understand you Mason!" Erza sniffed, tear gathering along the bottom of her eyes. "We're your family! We love you! We want you to grow and thrive; we don't want to see you like this! Why would you throw that all away to never return?"

"Erza..." It was Mason's turn to say someone's name quietly.

"You have Fairy Tail!" She yelled, tears flowing down her face.

"I know." Mason said, turning to face away from her. "And it's time for me to repay them for that honor. I know you aren't the best at secret keeping, but try and keep this to yourself. Erza, I'm not leaving Fairy Tail. That I promise." He turned back towards her and smiled. His Fairy Tailtattoo blazed in from of his face momentarily before he gravity-leapt off.

000

Mason walked slowly down the dirt path, already out of town. Every step he took kicked up a thin dust cloud, which trailed off before slowly dispersing. His small bag weighed a surprising amount, his right arm hung slightly lower than his left with the weight.

"Hello." Mason greeted a figure leaning on a fence, which approached him.

"Hey kid." He acknowledged, coming onto the path with him.

"How long did you say we had with that guy?"

"His name is Hislen. And he's not "some guy", he used to be one of the Ten Wizard saints. With the trips there and back, we have a week with him."

"Alright, I'll remember that." Mason answered with a nod.

"Hey kid?"

"Yeah?"

Paro wrapped an elbow around Mason's neck, pulling him close. "Thanks for coming back for me."

000

"Mirajane." A thin, tin-sounding voice called out. "It's me, Mason." The white-haired woman skittered over to the communications lacrima, holding it delicately. It was in a private room and no curious wizards interrupted her viewing.

"I need to tell you something, but I can't tell you in person right now. Mirajane, My capture was _not_ your fault." The small apparition of Mason trapped within the orb said firmly.

"Yes it was..." She muttered, although she knew it was only a message. He could not hear her, nor could they communicate.

"Think about it, face facts. You dived into a mob of mages that were going to attack _me_. The least I could do was take your place." Mason's face broke into a weak smile. "Thank you Mirajane Strauss, you saved my life. For that, I'm forever in your debt. I would pound nails through every bone in my body and scorch myself everyday if it meant returning that favor. I took your place Mira, and I'd do it a thousand times more if it means saving you from pain."

"Oh, Mason..." she said, a small smile breaking onto her face. The sudden onslaught of emotional words surprised her, and she didn't know how to respond. There was no way something like that could be said in simple conversation. Mason could only perform it because when he recorded it, he couldn't see her face and her reaction. Tears began to well in her eyes at his kind words and she hugged th orb, although it was barely a whisper of Mason's true presence.

A sudden commotion broke through the lacrima and she brought it back out quickly, seeing Mason looking away from her. He said something intangible before retuning his gaze to her.

"Paro says there's something on the road, I'll have to go." He glanced away once more before turning to her, guilt sprinkled across his thin face. "I have no excuse for my actions Mira... For whatever it's worth, I'm sorry. Sorry for letting the guild down, sorry for letting _you_ down."

The image dissipated, shrinking to a point in the middle like an old TV. Mirajane set the orb donw carefully before bursting into the guild hall to rely the news, at least the second half of it.


	20. I can't help myself it's called MANTE

The mood in the guild was dull at best. Barely a noise broke the tension as everyone stayed to their own thoughts, even though they were all generally the same.

Paro and Mason.

It made no sense, they just packed up and left without so much as explanation. Everyone had blabbered all the rumors, gossip "he said she said" for nearly an hour and collectively, they still had next to nothing.

Dante leaned back in his chair, his boots on the table. He aimlessly put cards between his index and middle fingers and flicked them at his empty mug. Every one hit, collecting in a messy pile around the cup.

Maryanna clicked away excitedly at her phone, one of the only sounds that broke the silence. The whole Mason conspiracy excited her as any good secret did, and she took it upon herself to crack the case.

Synnova sat at the same table as the two, leaning heavily on an elbow. Maryanna had dragged her out of her house and she had dressed in her favorite outfit, a neon green tank top and black high shorts, south grey suspenders hanging down her sides and green thigh highs with black combat boots.

"Who are you texting, Maryanna?' Synnova asked. Dante looked up from hid deck, surprised that she had been the one to break the silence.

"Oh, just my friend, he said he saw Mason leaving Magnolia. His name is Drake Con-"

A slightly metallic sound rang through the air as Dante's card cleanly cut through the mug. The blue-haired mage's teeth met, pushing against each other and grinding.

Maryanna clamped her hands over her mouth, her face screaming apology. "I'm sorry Dante! I didn't mean to!"

"Shut up." He growled, throwing the rest of his cards in te har so he could clench both fists. "Nobody ever does, seems like everyone's forgot."

"What's with Dante?' Synnova asked openly, not caring about Dante's emotions.

Maryanna surged forth to answer, but stopped and turned to Dante pleadingly.

"Go ahead." He growled, crossing his arms and looking the other way.

"Drake is the name of the solo mage who killed Dante's parents, Drake Tifokcis..." She answered in a whisper.

"He doesn't deserve to be called a mage!" Dante erupted, slamming a fist on the table. "He killed my mom and dad in cold blood! He killed them for initiation into some thugs gang while a seven-year old watched!"

Dante raised another fist, put felt a soft touch on his lowered arm. He looked to see Maryanna's soft grasp tickling his skin, pulling him down lightly. He temporarily forgot his rage like so many times before. Her porcelain skin almost glinted in the light, smooth, silky and perfect.

"Dante, rage won't bring back your parents..." She said softly, leading his body back into his chair.

"If I meet him again, one of us is going down, and it aint me." Dante vowed, just like so many times before. Due to this, the words barely registered to Maryanna's ears.

Soft snoring could be heard, and both of them looked to Synnova. She had fallen asleep in her chair.

Dante gripped his fists harder, but Maryanna's hand held him back. Synnova didn't even know how rude she was being, falling asleep while he spoke to her of his parent's murder.

"Dante... you know Synnova." Maryanna sang, scooted her chair over to his.

"Not in the mood Mary." Dante grunted, eyeing her hands.

"Oh, c'mon." She pouted, running a soft hand of his thick arms. "Big bad tough boy act."

"Shut up!" He said, but not with hate.

"I know you're just a soft wittle teddy bear inside." Maryanna continued, hugging his arm with both hands and pressing her head against his muscle. _You just need some love_. She thought.

"What's wrong with you?" Dante demanded, flinging her off his arm. She stung from the rejection and looked away, a mixture of feeling welling up in her breast. "Sorry." Dante added quickly, although he didn't know what he did.

"I have to tinkle..." Maryanna said softly, picking up her phone from the table and stalking away, her head bent.

The door closed behind Maryanna, and Synnova moved with surprising speed for previously being asleep.

"You idiot!" She leapt over the table, knocking him over backwards on his chair. She hopped on him, straddling him, and grabbed the front to shirt, shaking him back and forth.

"What the-?" Dante exclaimed, not knowing what to do in this situation.

"How dare you misread a signal THAT clear?! I swear to god you're deaf! Now you've hurt Maryanna's feelings!"

"I said I was sorry." Dante defended meekly.

"THAT DOESN'T MATTER!" Synnova exclaimed, shaking his shirt furiously so his head nodded.

"I'm confused..." Dante said softly, trying to push Nova off him.

"IT'S NOT THAT HARD DAMMIT!" She exclaimed, pushing off his attempts and shaking him again.

"Pipe down!" Dante demanded before pushing off her arms. "And quit it, you're going to give me Shaken Baby Syndrome." Reluctantly, Synnova got off him and let him stand.

"Alright, now that we're civilized..." Dante began, dusting himself off. "Speak slowly. What are you saying?"

"I'M SAYING YOU'RE AN IDIOT!" She yelled, wrapping her hands around his throat and shaking it back and forth. "How can you be that blind!? You're going to go over there right now and apologize for hurting Maryanna's feelings! You must NEVER be that rude to a girl."

"What did I do!?" Dante demanded, desperately trying to take off her hands. "Why are girls so complicated?"

"SHUT UP WE AREN'T COMPLICATED!" Synnova yelled, throttling him again.

"Actually, I'll have to side with Dante on that one." Wakaba piped in.

"I'm with those two." Macao put in. "Understanding women is like trying to read a book in Latin backwards while the book is upside down and you're blindfolded."

"A real man doesn't try and understand women." Elfman said proudly. "Women understand women, and they hate each other."

"C'mon guys!" Gray stood up, addressing the entire crowd. 'There are 3 ways to understand women... Does anyone know them? We still don't know after thousands for years." He joked, sending the guild into a fit of laughter.

"You guys are exaggerating! Honestly, boys don't even try to listen anyway, so they wouldn't know." Cana put in on her genders behalf.

"No." Natsu said flatly. "Just no. Girls are impossible to understand."

Gildarts coughed once before taking on a mock girl tone, supporting his statement. "I'm fine. I hate you. I love you. I want ice cream. I'm hungry. I'm fat. Come here. Get away. Your cute. I'm cold. I'm hot. Fuck off. Fuck that. Fuck this. You call it complex, but I'd just call you a mess" His statement made the entire guild erupt in a fit of laughter, even if some of the girls had to chuckle.

"I think you missed the point boys." Lucy countered. "Just like the laundry, the toilet, and the grocery list. If you guys would stop screwing up, we wouldn't have to get mad!" She announced, making most girls cheer in approval.

"They take two hours to cum, and three more to get dressed." Loke, who had bedded many a girl, whispered to Laxus. The firm, cool, tough Laxus burst out in a fit of uncontrollable laughter.

"They got a lotion for this..." Freed began.

"And a cream for that," Gajeel added with a grin.

"Do you have a perfume that smells like, 'get the hell off our backs'!?" Jet yelled, earning a slap from Levy.

"I know you think the female mind is devious and sly, but that's only because is have to deal with men." Evergreen added with a sly smile, earning whooping approval.

"At least we have brain power." Erza said proudly. "The male mind consists of sex, memorizing Family Guy quotes and alcohol."

"Pay attention." Synnova snapped her fingers, bringing Dante's attention back to her. "Maryanna gave you a signal like a flare, and you shot her down rudely. Just... ugh." Synnova rubbed her temples stressfully. Dante sat don, prepared to hear a lecture. "Just try and actually listen to her, okay? Get it through your thick skull that she likes you."

Dante's body stopped halfway down to his chair.

_Get it through your thick skull that she likes you._

_That she likes you._

_She likes you._

_Likes you._

_Likes you._

The words echoed in his mind like a gong.

Of course! How could he have been so blind? He had lost his sense of love and companionship after being homeless for three years, taking to the streets after his parents death. It just took him seven years to get it back.

"I just don't trust anything that bleeds for five days and doesn't die!" Natsu exclaimed loudly, cutting through his thoughts momentarily.

"Maryanna likes me..." Dante said slowly, falling in a chair.

"HALLELUIAH!" Synnova yelled, throwing tendrils of shadow in the air that exploded like fireworks, celebrating Dante's realization.

"I never really thought about it like that." Dante admitted, scratching his neck the way Mason did sometimes. Synnova noticed the action and a pang of sadness went through her at Mason's disappearance, but Dante continued. "Maryanna came from a rich family; I was really her only friend. We never left that big house and we always hung out with each other."

"Dante..." Synnova said slowly.

"Let me keep going. We'd run around the yard as kids, doing the stupidest stuff, playing pranks on the servants..." Dante chuckled. "Weren't we a rowdy duo? I 'm stupid Synnova... I only thought of her as a sister. I'm blind; I never would have thought that she liked me."

"Dante." She said more sharply.

"Maryanna was the best friend a guy or girl could have. She was always so nice and kind. She even put up with me when I was trying to act tough and stuff. I was always by her side, her bodyguard. Not a single person got to lay a finger on her unless they went through me." Dante smiled softly, a mental image forming in his mind.

_Ten year old Dante with short, cropped blue hair and a pudgy face, arms crossed. A stiff, but not forced smile was on his face. He stood protectively in front of a short Maryanna, with long pink hair and a bright smile. Pudgy little cheeks, just like him, with pink brushed along the tips._

"She taught me manners, you know?" Dante said, facing Synnova. Synnova's eyes were behind him, but he didn't notice. "She deserves a medal. She taught manners and etiquette to a ragged homeless boy. Took her about a month to finally convince me to comb my hair, but she got it done."

"Seriously Dante." She said, a sly smile forming on her face.

"I never noticed it, but it makes so much sense now. She always did strange little lovey-dovey love things. She loved to hug, always made me be the husband when we played house, making me walk her to the bathroom at night when she was still afraid of the dark, I'd stay up on nights of thunderstorms because it was so loud,"

"DANTE!" Synnova yelled.

"And we would have fake slumber parties..." Maryanna added slowly. "Because we didn't have any other friends our age except for each other."

"Maryanna!" Dante exclaimed, his cheeks flushing red. "How much did you hear?"

"Everything since Natsu's distrust of periods." She answered, making Dante blush heavily. Despite the situation, Maryanna smiled broadly at his show of anxiety and embarrassment. She knew he wasn't just some tough guy.

"Um... I..." Dante looked down and rolled his fingers through each other, not knowing what to say.

"I remember too." She said, a broad smile finding its way onto her face. "A tough little twelve year old boy sitting down and listening to a teenage girl ramble on and complain for hours about everything from boys who broke her heart to girls who did mean things to her."

"I never let either get away with that." Dante admitted sheepishly, smiling a small grin.

"And you were always the best listener, the best shoulder to cry on. Hearing every word an emotional, tantrum-filled, crying little Maryanna had to say. You were my only friend Dante, you were right. I was so lonely before, and then you came in. Life was right again. Dante..." Maryanna's eyes gathered tears. "You're my other half."

"Maryanna." Dante started, standing up.

"Shut up and kiss me, Teddy!" Maryanna exclaimed, hopping onto Dante. She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms snaked around his neck, pulling his head in close to meet her lips.

Her full, pink lips met Dante's head on. Everyone held their breath as they suddenly stopped. Worry flashed through Maryanna's heart for a moment; did Dante not feel the same way about her?

Dante wrapped his arms round her and pulled her in close, attacking her lips with his. He loved their feel. The soft, bubbly way they brushed against his sent him over the edge.

A cheer erupted from the crowd, and all of Fairy Tail gave them a standing ovation.

"MANTE MADE IT!" Mirajane exclaimed. She got up on the bar counter and yelled at the top of her lungs. "THANK GOD/IGNATUIS, MANTE MADE IT!"

Dante pulled away from the kiss, resting his forehead against hers.

"Sorry for before." he said simply.

"It's alright, Teddy. I know you were just down." Maryanna smiled before kissing his lips full again.

"Teddy?" he asked, pulling out of the kiss momentarily.

"Yeah, Teddy." Maryanna giggled. "You act like a tough guy, but you're just a big, soft Teddy Bear on the inside who wants some love." Dante chuckled at the name, moving to kiss her again.

"Shhh, you'll ruin m street cred." He joked before meeting the kiss. Dante hugged her closely, loving the presence of her body. Just the heat of her skin against him made him crazy.

"Some people say that when humans were created, they had four arms, four legs and two heads."Maryanna said. Dante looked at her strangely, but let her continue. "They were all suddenly separated in half, and left to wander the globe looking for their lost half.

"Maryanna?" Dante asked.

"Yeah?' she said, anxiety building in her chest at what he had to say.

"Can I borrow your body? I'm one short." Maryanna barely had time to giggle before Dante's lips met hers again and she was pulled into a breathless, long, loving kiss.

**I was so stumped this chapter, I made Drake's last name my favorite song's name backwards *facepalm***


	21. Loke's Promise

Natsu sat down in the guild beside Lucy and Gray, his feather pen scrawled across the page. He knew his writing was coming across messy, little more than chicken scratch, but he didn't care. The moment Mirajane had suggested the idea; he had ransacked the guild for parchment and a pen as well as some ink.

"Natsu... I don't think you should use that paper." Lucy advised, pointing to his parchment.

"Huh?" Natsu said, flipping the paper over. On the other side, it was a job request for searching for a family heirloom.

"Who cares, it was a stupid job anyway." He decided, flipping the paper back over and continuing his scrawling.

"Hey, do I get to put in my two bits?" Gray asked, leaning over.

"Get your own damn letter!" Natsu growled, holding the paper to his chest protectively.

"I think Dante might want to send a letter to Mason too," Gray snickered at Unicorn's are Mystical's empty table. "Except he's been hanging with Maryanna in town for days now."

"And... there!" Natsu finished his signature and made a dot on the paper climatically. Gray gave him string to tie it and he rolled it up, tying it shut.

"Great idea! Now how are we going to get it to him?" Gray huffed, sitting down in a chair. "Dimwit..."

"Oh..." Natsu put a finger to his chin, scratching it in thought. "I've got it! Happy can fly it to him!"

"Aye!" Happy saluted from the table.

"Another brilliant idea, but Happy doesn't know where Mason is either." Gray huffed.

"OH yeah..." Natsu's chin hit the table and he looked straight forward. "Aww, this is hard! Lucy!" He pointed to the blonde mage. "You're smart, figure something out!"

"Wow..." Lucy sweat-dropped. "That was almost a compliment, except you only said it so I would do something for you."

"Hey Luce, can one of your spirits get it to him?" Gray asked suddenly.

"I don't know Gray..." She poked the tips of her fingers together in thought. "I don't want to use them as servants just to get work done for me..."

"You're kind to your spirits Lucy, there your friends." Natsu shot in. "They'd be glad to do it as a favor. Plus if Mason saw one of us, he'd probably run off. He left the guild for a reason."

"And we need to find out why." Gray stated flatly.

"I guess..." Lucy said, although she still didn't like the idea. She reached for her belt and pulled out a golden key. "Open, Gate of the Lion! Leo!"

Light gathered into a shimmering form, which slowly dissipated into the familiar form of Loke.

"Sup Luce?" He said idly, smiling while shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Loke, would you mind doing me a _huge_ favor?" Lucy said, sticking out her bottom lip and fluttering her eyelashes.

"Anything for you, princess." He smirked, winking at her. A red heart floated over to Lucy from his wink, popping in front of her face. Several near female mages fainted at the action, although they didn't even see it.

"Do you think you could find Mason and give him a letter?" She asked, offering the parchment.

"That's it? No probs babe." He snatched the parchment from her and placed it inside of his black blazer.

"Are you sure?' She asked worriedly. "How will you find him? Do you have enough magic to survive that long?"

"I'm the leader of the Zodiac's Lucy, I can do things other spirits and humans can't." He smiled at her. "As far as the time, I managed three years; I'll be back by the end of the week."

"Yay!" She hugged the lion spirit. "Thanks Loke! You're the best!"

"I won't hug you Loke, but thanks too." Natsu grinned.

"I better get going." Loke stated, letting go of Lucy and turning around. He waved behind him to the Fairy Tail wizards, and set off.

000

"Again." Hislen commanded.

"I don't need to be told." Mason growled, but punched the hanging bag strongly. A small click resonated.

"You're wasting time. Again." Hislen state firmly. He spoke in a stiff, gruff voice that was so forced and jerky, it sounded like he had a bad accent. With this, it matched his character and appearance perfectly.

"Sebastian!" Mason cursed, slamming the same fist into the bag. The action was followed by a click, as was the next punch he threw.

"You can punch it without my command you know. You are wasting more time." Hislen reminded, waving the clicker he held. It kept track of clicks up to four places.

"I know! Time, time, time, time! Everything's about time!" Mason yelled in frustration, slamming his fist into the punching bag every time he said the four letter word. Of course, each punch was followed by the infuriating click. He spared a glance at his current trainer.

Hislen reminded him of Macao actually. He was about the same build and had the same comb over haircut, but he was taller and had paler skin, as well as a clean shaven face. Everything about him was stiff, especially his posture. Even his movements were jerky and ragged. He wore a long crimson overcoat over basic black pants and shirt.

"What kind of magic do you use?" Mason asked idly, shoving his fists into the bag.

"I don't see why I need to share that information." He said blandly, clicking away on the damned clicker.

"Where's Paro?" Mason continued, punching differently. His wrists were so sore he was using his elbows to throw his punches and keeping his wrists stiff.

"Out back with Crystal." He said with a hint of irritation.

"Mad he's with your sister?" Mason asked with a smirk of satisfaction.

"Again..." Hislen growled simply.

"What am I at?" Mason asked, taming a moment to rest against the heavy bag.

"Just over 800." Hislen said, a weak look of surprise flashing across his face when he checked the clicker.

"No good. I'm barely a tenth there." Mason growled, getting up and punching at the bag again.

"What an understatement of an achievement for someone like you." Hislen commented.

"Like me?' Mason pointed out, looking at him out of the corner of his eye.

"I meant your age. You're surprisingly determined for a mage of three months. This is only your first day."

"I'll get it done today." Mason vowed, punching a little higher. The cool leather of the untouched place gave his knuckles a brief cool feeling before it too heated up. "I need to become adept, just like you said," Mason turned his head so he could see Hislen fully. "Or do I have to give your own speech to you?"

Before he could answer, Mason spoke. He never stopped his flurry of punches, though.

"Studies show _thumf_ that the average person has to _thumf_ perform an action about 10,000 times _thumf thumf _before they can be considered THUMF adept." Mason stopped momentarily, looking at his own hands. "Now I'm here wearing my wrists to stubs."

"I've done the math Hislen. 86,400 seconds in a day_ thumf_. 26,400 seconds a day to _thumf thumf thumf_ sleep. 10,000 seconds a day to eat _thumf _and rest_ thumf_. 50,000 seconds a day to TRAIN/_thumf_." Mason stopped, falling to one knee and wasting more precious time. "If I punch once every five seconds all day... I'll do it." He looked up and saw Hislen's doubtful glare.

"I can do it Hislen! I really can!" He yelled in promise.

"You're wasting time." He commented his favorite phrase.

"I'll get better, I promise! This is only my first day; I'll start at simple things like this and keep becoming adept. I don't need entertainment or to socialize, just give me a punching bag, a bed, and some food every once in a little while. I'll get back to Fairy Tail stronger than before! Every punch here's another punch at the frontlines defending my friends!" Mason yelled.

"Strange." Hislen muttered. "You think you can do it ten thousand times by today, albeit nobody ever has." Hislen laughed at his promise.

"Be with him a little while and he'll redefine impossible. You wouldn't believe the stuff I've seen this kid go through." Paro commented, approaching Hislen from behind. He was followed by a short, pretty girl.

"He's proving quite the trainee." Hislen turned to face his friend. "Hello Crystal."

"Hello brother." She sang, smiling so her high cheekbones rose even higher.

"I hope he isn't giving you too much trouble?" Paro joked.

"He's doing just fine. How's your magic coming?"

"Progress. It's at a frustrating pace, but its progress." Paro placed a hand on Crystal's bony shoulder. "The fine Crystal has helped me along more than you could imagine."

"Oh shut up." Hislen shook his head, knowing Paro was only bugging him. Crystal giggled; her slim mouth in a smile. As she chuckled, her raven hair bounced slightly... as well as other things. She was quite short, the top of her head below Paro's armpits. Her body was skinny and fragile; she walked as if made of glass.

Mason did his best to ignore the large amounts of distraction, thumping the bag heavily. He started to make a permanent dent in the one side and quickly scurried over to its opposite.

"_Mason_." Paro breathed suddenly, motioning towards the trail leading into Hislen's forest cottage.

"Loke." Mason recognized with confusion. "Hislen, do I have time for a break?"

"It wouldn't help."

"LOKE!" Mason called him, waving him over. He turned back to his bag hanging from a thick branch and punched it furiously.

"I can't exactly sneak up on you." Loke joked once he was in earshot.

"If you're trying to bring me back Loke, it's not happening." Mason stated. He had rested slightly, and his fists were a blur, punching with reserved vigor. He didn't dare use magic to aid him though; he needed to learn the tough way. Plus, added fatigue wouldn't help his training.

"I came alone, that's not why I'm here." Loke began, standing on the opposite side of the bag.

"Be a dear and hold it for me." Mason asked, and Loke obliged. He held it in two places and leaned his body weight against it. "Privacy please." Mason said, turning to everyone else.

"Long _thumf_ time _thumf_ no _thumf_ see _thumf_ Loke." Mason commented, thrusting his numb knuckles forward.

"Mason, why did you leave?" Loke asked in a worried tone. He twitched every time Mason punched the bag, because he could still feel the force of the punches.

"You guys _thumf_ deserved more _thumf_ of an explanation, at _thumf_ least a good bye." Mason held up his fist, which he had all but lost feeling in. He shook his head and started on his bad hand, his left.

"You have no idea Mason, everyone's worried sick." Loke caught his doubtful gaze and frowned. "The guild is silent. I'm serious, _silent_. The night you left everyone scoured Magnolia for you. I was one of them, we looked for hours."

Mason's fist stopped against the bag, thoughts concerning exhilaration and ferocity gone.

"Loke-"

"I know you had your reasons."

"Loke-!"

"But we deserve some sort of answer."

"I know Loke." Mason muttered, frustration allowing him to start punching again. "If I spoke to you guys I wouldn't have been able to leave, and trust me. This is for the better."

"I trust you Mason." Loke stated. "I haven't seen you too often, but I've seen enough. I know your honest and you care about Fairy Tail, you wouldn't leave for fun."

"I'm just getting STRONGER!" Mason yelled the last word, inspired enough to jump in the air and boot the bag. The force knocked Loke onto his arse, so it was followed by a hasty apology.

"I'm doing Fairy Tail a favor." Mason explained. "I'm getting stronger."

The Lion pursed his lips, taking in the situation. It was in some ways an honourable cause, but he had hell of a timing.

"They wrote you a letter." Loke remembered, reaching into his jacket for it.

"Loke, do me a favor and don't tell anyone where I am. I need this." Mason said, taking the letter.

"I'll take your word for it. Nobody will know."

"Just say nothing." Mason continued, looking down in what looked like shame. "I just... I hated leaving Loke. Let me tell them. I know I'm all over the place and probably not making sense, but just let me speak to them."

Loke nodded at him slowly. "I've done my job; I'm going to close my gate Mason. I hope you come back, I really do. Mirajane is worried sick about you." Leo pushed up his glasses with two fingers, but his face lacked his usual smirk. His form shimmered, his body rippling before it slowly faded. After a bright flash, the spirit was gone.

"But I haven't left Fairy Tail..." Mason muttered, although his thoughts were much more focused on his Mirajane comment.

"You're wasting time!" Hislen commented.

000

_Mason,_

_I hope this letter gets to you. Oh year, this is Natsu, but Lucy and Gray are here too. Anyway, why did you leave man? The guild is quiet after you left. Everyone is really worried, we don't know where you are, what happened, or even if you're okay. Erza flew out for almost five hours, but even she didn't find you. Some people are saying you left Fairy Tail, but that can't be. You wouldn't leave Fairy Tail, were in this together. Gramps has kept real quite too; he doesn't even break up our brawls anymore. Erza's barely broke up me and Gray too, she's kept quite like Gramps. Dante and your friends have been... gone lately, so I don't know about them. We need you back. The threats from Ragnarok increase every day, and we miss you. We care about you, we're your friends. You need to know that, and I really hope that wasn't why you left. I think we deserve at least answers Mason. You should come back, your family misses you._

_-Natsu Dragneel _


	22. The Big Bang Pt 1

Mason's fist flew forward before reaching an obstruction, making a low _thumf_ sound. His other fist flew forward as he pulled the other one back. He continued at a steady pace, clenching his muscles to go harder even though they began to pain him.

Stop.

Breath.

He looked out at the early morning sun for a moment.

Fist flies back into his propped mattress out of anger, back at it again.

He lowered the gravity around himself and rapidly jabbed the bedding he had leaned against his room wall. The sounds came in quicker and quicker succession until it nearly became a single noise. Mason stopped, taking a step back.

His knuckles were numb from the punching. He had never really worked out back on Earth, and he wasn't exactly an MMA fighter, so the soreness of his muscles and pain from his knuckles was all new to him. Sweat coursed down his shirtless body, revealing his large, pink burn scar.

His eyes glazed over his current enemy, a floral-pattern mattress. Slowly, a too-familiar face appeared in front of the fabric, the work of Mason's imagination. A neat comb over focused first, followed by peach skin, twinkling eyes and a calculated, but confident smirk.

Mason yelled, punching the mattress twice so hard, he may as well have punched right through it to the wall. He jumped up, spinning and bringing a firm knee into the face of Sebastian before landing solidly. He looked for the Light Mage again, but growled when the coward had fled.

He immediately returned to the mattress, this time adding his knee's and elbow's into the quick flurry of attacks.

The creak of a door announced Dante's presence. He walked over with Toby Keith perched on his shoulder, watching Mason for awhile before speaking.

"You know... if you don' like the flowers we can just change them, no need to beat them up." He commented with his famous smirk.

"Funny." Mason said blandly, slamming his right elbow into the mattress before a series of quick jabs.

"Seriously... what are you doing?" Dante asked, almost nervous at the strange action. Even Toby skittered with anxiety from atop his head.

"Getting stronger." Mason grunted simply, not ending his attacks to say the sentence as simply as 'breathing oxygen'. "You guys don't exactly have Bowflex's."

"What?"

"Never mind." A seal twirled below Mason's feet before he punched the mattress with extra force, making his knuckle crack. He cradled his hand and seethed slowly, stepping away.

"What's got you so obsessed?" Dante pressed further, snatching his hand from him to look at the knuckle.

"I'm weak." He spat hatefully, snatching the hand back with a small wince of pain.

"Don't be like that." Dante nearly pleaded, flopping down on Mason's bed.

"This isn't some self-confidence issues Dante, I'm serious." Mason growled. Dante shot a questioning look at his friend, wondering why he was acting so strangely.

"I fought worse than a kitten at the ball. I can't stand against a basic mage Dante, your worth a hundred of me." Mason explained, getting up to punch the mattress again.

"Mason!" Dante snapped sharply, surprising Mason. Toby hopped off Dante and covered his eyes, not used to the yelling. Dante grabbed Mason's elbow and whirled him around to face him. "Listen to me..." he said, returning to his soothing tone.

"You've only lived for about three months; don't expect to be a master. Determination will help you get stronger, but that doesn't mean killing yourself. You've got spirit and confidence; I know that you'll be able to..." His voice suddenly dropped to a whisper, realizing something. "This is about Ragnarok, isn't it?"

"I need to pull my own weight." Mason admitted, not trying to hide anything anymore. "I put half guild in danger; I'm tired of being deadweight!"

"Listen!" Dante demanded, slammed a boot into the floor. He waited until he had complete silence to continue. "Erza? Natsu? Gray? Those guys have been doing magic since they were seven, seriously. You're acting reckless Mason, just calm down. You're not deadweight."

"Oh shut up." Mason grumbled, looking out the open window. "I'm not stupid; so don't pull the wool over my eyes. I'm deadweight, useless. If I wouldn't have got into trouble, we might not be in this deep with Ragnarok, you guys had to attack their headquarters to save me. Less people would be injured,-"

"You're sounding like a teenage girl dammit!" Dante snapped. His patience had all but depleted with Mason's new attitude. "You want to know the truth? You're different. I don't know what's wrong with you, in a handful of months you're almost at my level, which I achieved over nearly the same amount of years. You're learning at a pace like crazy."

"So I'm a freak?' Mason pointed out, making Dante yell out in frustration.

"That's not what I meant and you know it! You need to chill down, because you're being a fucking jackass!" Dante yelled.

"I'm going for a walk." Mason turned and walked to the window without further explanation. He placed both feet on the sill and shot off. Dante didn't bother worrying; he knew he couldn't kill himself out a window if he wanted to.

He went out of the room and grabbed his key, grumbling all the while. The door shut behind him and he locked it before setting off into Magnolia.

000

"You didn't get very far." Dante stated calmly, walking over to him. He was exactly where he thought he would be, on the guild roof. Mason didn't bother asking "how'd you know?" and got down to what had been bugging his mind.

"Stop." Mason said, and Dante obliged. He stood standing, about twenty feet away. Mason got up slowly and faced Dante.

"Prove it Dante." Mason cracked his knuckles and faced his friend with a dark look on his face. "Fight me. Test my strength."

Dante nodded slowly, accepting the challenge. He pulled out his card pack and summoned his cards to their usual state. Before he could tuck away the empty case, they were all hovering around him in a blue dome, each encircled by a blue flame.

"Don't take it easy on me, dammit." Mason grumbled. His eye flashed green and he pounced at Dante without warning.

Dante expertly manoeuvred his applying cards, forming them thickly where Mason's knee hit his dome solidly. It may as well have hit stone.

Mason stayed in the air, swinging another foot and hitting farther to the right, but it was also blocked. Mason frantically jabbed at the shield, using his mastered mattress-technique. Much to his frustration, Dante expertly blocked every attack.

"Fight me!" Mason ordered, lowering himself to the ground. To his surprise, Dante obliged. The cards separated and the mage walked towards him slowly.

His hand snapped forward, sending a card hurtling at Mason. It quickly grew into a huge diamond, aimed for his heart. Mason threw his hands apart, disrupting the gravity in front of him into an intangible jumble of gravitational fields. The card hovered in mid air, bouncing around and spinning before falling to the ground.

"You hide behind your cards, fight me!" Mason ordered again, flipping sideways and throwing Dante backwards with his flailing feet. Dante tried to keep his feet on the roof, but they caught and it sent him tumbling backwards.

"Card Magic!" Dante announced, swiping his hand through the air before fanning out a hand of chosen cards. "Diamond Hail!" He threw them into the air, each of the turning into a form of sparkling blue energy shaped like the regular diamond. They dropped suddenly in midair before pointing at Mason and assailing him.

Mason carefully spun, barely grazing one of his palms as he deflected it. He flipped upside down onto his hands, bending his legs awkwardly so that three of the diamonds would barely miss him. He finished by back flipping, something he could never do before Gravity Magic, and solidly kicking a diamond out of the way.

Mason held his arms in a strange pose. One straight out, one palm placed on the elbow. He moved them rapidly over each other, like a high-speed Macarena, before slapping his palms together. A ball of green energy enveloped them both and he made to throw it at Dante, making it emit a thick beam of energy.

Dante widened his eyes at the powerful attack. _That_ he did not expect. He grabbed three spades cards out of his dome and held them in a fan, making them glow blue. The beam struck his dome solidly, it did not deflect, but rather it was absorbed into the dome, resonating with a bright light. Dante gripped the flimsy cards tighter, bending them and disfiguring them. He let out a breath he didn't realize he held and veered to the side, dropping the cards. The beam shot past him, dangerously close, and ended when it hit one of the spires pointing up from the roof.

Mirajane casually walked towards the guild. She was usually the first one there and would unlock it and prepare for the coming day. She frowned when she spotted the two mages duking it out on the roof. Mason and Dante never seemed like a Gray and Natsu bromance where they constantly fought.

She calmed her worrying near instantly; this _was _Fairy Tail after all. Still frowning slightly, she unlocked the guild and entered.

Mason's secret to fighting with strength was hate. Pure and utter hate. His mind had already plastered the best memory he had of Sebastian on Dante's face and now he fought with all he had.

He didn't even notice Mirajane as she passed below; he was too busy leaping in the air, doing a spinning-flying jump kick in Dante's direction. The kick landed solidly overtop of Dante's head, but he managed to cross his arm's in an X and blocked it. He threw his forearms out, sending Mason spinning.

Mason growled at his lack of progress, ending a beam of energy at his best friend, Dante front-flipped over it lazily. Taking the extra time the cocky act had given him, Mason gravity-leapt forward and met Dante in the air.

He threw his fist forward, but date caught it in his outstretched hand and threw his own punch, which Mason dodged and grabbed.

The two Mages growled at each other, tugging back and forth even as they landed on the roof.

"A right hook! Give 'em a right hook Dante!" Wakaba called out from below, chuckling as he entered the guild.

"Shut up you stoner." Dante growled, swinging a quick knee into Mason's chest. Mason gasped, falling to one knee. He clutched desperately at his healing scar tissue, which Dante had struck firmly.

Worry flashed across Dante's face and he released his friend.

"I told you to give me your all, dammit!" Mason growled, standing up slowly. He had known of his injuries when he entered the fight, he would have to deal with them throughout.

Taking him by surprise, Mason swept his legs out from under his and shot his fist up, upper cutting him perfectly under the chin. Dante shot through the air, off the roof and onto the ground in front of the guild.

The dust cleared and Dante got to his feet with difficulty, revealing a small crater where he landed.

"That was dirty." He announced, wiping a trickle of blood from his lip. The person he was talking to slowly floated down before hitting the ground mid-stride.

He punched his fists together, summoning a green hue to surround them, flaring like a strange-colored flame. He leapt at him, bringing his fists back and uttering a low war cry.

Mason stopped an inch before reaching Dante. He flung out his glowing hands desperately, but they reached a frustrating inch before Dante's face. He was suddenly lifted off the ground, as well as his fight partner. The redhead holding both of them frowned, definitely not satisfied with their actions.

"How many times do I have to say it..." Erza growled. The two mages ignored her, still flailing out their arms like children although she held them by the scruff like two kittens. "This Guild Hall is your house as we are your family; you must treat it with likewise respect. I will not condone any fighting in my presence, got that?"

She met both their eyes, shooting a dangerous glare. For once, they ignored it and simply waited for her to put them down.

000

The guild doors burst open and Mason went flying through the air against his will. His back connected with a table and he toppled over it, knocking into several chairs before getting to his feet.

"That was sneaky you bastard!" Mason bellowed to someone unseen outside.

"It's called fighting! Everyone else has just taken it easy on you, you weakling!" Dane bellowed. Through the doors came a huge, glowing, blue spike aimed for Mason's heart. He placed both hands on it and dug in his heels, it still pushed him across the guild. It stopped at the bar table, where it beached like a whale and pinned Mason under it.

Mason looked up, seeing the underside of Mirajane's breasts and her smiling face.

"Hey Mira." He grunted, bringing up his knees and pushing the paralyzing pillar off.

"Hey Mason." She said, attempting a half-hearted smile.

He ignored the acknowledgment and leapt at the person who had been an outlet for his feelings. He was met with another pillar, which he threw off course with a good dose of gravity. He caught sight of Dante finally entering the guild.

"Hold still this time!" Mason exclaimed, raising a hand. Moss green energy gathered around his hand and he raised it to strike.

The sound of bodies hitting the floor sounded suddenly, and Mason and Dante lay on the floor. They both dozed heavily, violet Z's coming from the corner of their mouths.

Makarov hooped off his perch after completing the spell. He tapped both of their skulls with his staff until he was satisfied they were in fact asleep.

"I don't know what had those two riled up like that, they were sure going at it." He grunted.

"Oh master," Lisanna giggled, washing the bar table while Mira moped behind it. "The better friends they are, the more they fight."

"I probably just worry too much." He nodded. "They'll be awake in a couple hours, someone bring them back to their house."


	23. The Big Bang Pt 2

The ship had no gangplanks, so they Ragnarok mages scrambled off of the boat. Their motions were as graceful as they were ceremonious.

It was amazing how many mages they could fit on the boats. They covered the deck and lowered themselves down the side in one, huge, shifting crowd. They could be related to ants covering their upturned hill, so many of them you could barely tell there were ships underneath.

Lilac and her four followers quickly hopped out of the way and onto a watching position on the prow. Even their high status within the guild wouldn't spare them from being ignored by their guildmates fury. The possibility of being shoved back and forth like a child among bullies was enough to make them flee the crowd.

"You're talkin' pretty big for someone who's not even fighting!" Gray exclaimed.

"You ready Juvia?" He continued, placing his back against hers.

"Juvia's ready." She smiled a rare grin. Not of joy or even satisfaction, but of pure malice.

"Ice Make: Lance!" Gray slammed his hands together, summoning a thick cloud of sharp arrows. Mage's watched from the side as a glacial-blue barcode shot into the approaching sea of Mages.

"Water Force!" Juvia shoved a palm forward, accompanied by two fingers sticking up together. From apparently nowhere, a wall of water slid in front in the approaching mages. They stared at the barrier momentarily, deciding on what to do.

Lucky for them, Juvia decided for them.

She flicked her hand sideways and the water wall surged forward. Steaming hot water crashed into the mages, who were already off-guard from the Ice Make spell. Any mage who was weak of foot or weight was swept off their feet and off the cliff.

Even for the mages who could swim, the sharp reef in the shallow water offered no mercy.

"Not bad... Juvia." Gray panted, returning his back to its familiar counterpart. Sweat beaded his brow and he had to blink the salty substance out of his eyes, albeit he was shirtless the poison had drained his energy. The basic spell had drained too much of his tiny reserve.

"Your performance puts Juvia's to shame, Gray-sama." Juvia smirked at him, trying to hide her own strain.

"Those bastards are gonna pay for what they did to Mason!" Natsu promised, rushing forward. He stopped short, a firm gauntlet on his shoulder.

"Remember your place Natsu. We must engage their Second Rank wizards."

"Aww, but I wanna fight!" Natsu whined, stomping his feet.

"You ready Anna?" Dante smirked, pulling out his spatha. He had worked all week to implicate it into his technique and he was sure he had finally achieved just that.

"You bet Teddy!" She replied with a grin, brandishing a ribbon. Dante's hand moved mechanically, someone knowing the location of every card he needed.

"Royal Flush!" He held out his hand with pride, brandishing the infamous poker hand.

"Ribbon Form! Octopus!" Maryanna held her ribbon out at arm length and pirouetted in perfect form. He ribbon lay on the ground around her in a circle, stacked sideways. She straightened her knee and pushed, performing another pirouette and adding another layer.

"Anna..." Dante said in bewilderment, still holding his hand out, inactivated. He had never seen this spell before

"Pay attention Dante..." Maryanna smiled before her ribbon covered her face. "You'll learn how a real mage fights!" She muffled.

Maryanna's wall of ribbons lifted itself into the air and collapsed on itself carefully, making a perfect sphere. Eight ribbons acting as arms sprouted from the ball, holding the precious sphere up like a pearl on display at a jeweler. Slowly, two pink eyes opened on the Octopus, locking instantly on the mages.

"I love you Maryanna..." Dante muttered with a grin, watching the Octopus stalk over to Ragnarok.

"Royal Flush!" Dante announced, finally activating the spell.

A huge torrent of water shot forward from behind Dante, enough to make even Juvia raise her eyebrows at. It split suddenly, forming around its master.

"Water, I command you!" Dante exclaimed, throwing his arms out sideways. The water suddenly stopped, waiting for its call.

"Go hard." Dante smirked with satisfaction, letting the water surge past him. It split into hundreds of different tendrils and attacked Ragnarok mages personally, striking their chest and knocking them off their feet. Hopefully it would be enough for their Fairy Tail enemies to take them out.

"Not bad Dante." A deep voice, quickly echoed by a shrill voice that was Maryanna's answered. The Octopus quickly turned back to its work and ran an arm across the crowd, knocking down mages.

"Leave some for me!" Dante smiled, rushing forward. He held his spatha behind him and ran forward, his first two fingers and his arm held in front of his face.

000

"I compliment your execution Ralec, the poison worked perfectly." Lilac complimented.

"Thank you, Master." A short, frail boy answered without emotion.

"You know your plan. Karu, get inside through the sewer and pop up behind, attacking their main force from the rear." She started, turning to a tall boy with a bandana covering his mouth like a Wild West bandit. He nodded in silence and turned away.

"Tokiwa, take your brother and go to the main battle. Lead Titania into the air and engage Salamander on the ground."

"Yes flower-crown-master." The male giggled, the laughter completely out of place, and hopped off the boat beside his sister. If you saw the two you would have never guessed there relation, besides their crimson hair.

"Ralec... my most trusted lieutenant." She said to the remaining mage.

"You hold me too high, Master." He answered with no hint of pride or modesty

"The she-demon is dangerous. We can't let her loose on our main force; she will blow through them like a wind through autumn leaves." Lilac explained.

"I will stray her away from the battle." He finished for her.

"Kill her." She ordered simply.

"Thank you, Master." A sickly smile formed on his face, the first hint of emotion, facial or verbal, he had shown yet. The poison mage leapt off of the ship, Leaving Lilac alone with a single mage. The wizard in question was leaning against the ship's railing, his arms crossed.

"The ships are ruined, Madame. The reef obliterated the hulls." He pointed out.

"No need, my sapling. I sent a wizard to capture their wood-make mage, and I had Uron add the steel hull to our largest ship if we need retreat. We will be fine."

"I envy your ability to plan for _every_ possible situation." The mage chuckled, pushing aside a bang of black hair.

"We hadn't need to fear, our defeat is impossible." She returned on Sebastian, red eyes blazing. "When I plan an attack, I make sure my side wins. Their attacks are wind against the mighty redwood grove"

"My apologies." He returned casually, averted his eyes which couldn't match her red shade.

"It's my fault really. I shouldn't have put you in charge of the Ball Raid in the first place when you hadn't bloomed. You even captured a prisoner and let him escape, didn't even get information from him."

"Our informant says he didn't know in the first place, or at least acted so." Sebastian defended.

"Yes. For their sake, I hope our informant remembers the signal. I'd hate for them to get slaughtered alongside Fairy Tail."

"They will know." He answered casually.

"Walk with me, my sapling." Lilac offered her hand. "Defend me on the way to Makarov, I must save my magic."

"Of course, Master. Though you need not worry, you will defeat him with ease."

"After that, you may join the battle at your own judgement."

000

"There they go!" Natsu smiled, spotting the moving Second Rank wizards. The light of morning now warmed everyone's skin, but it did little to help the mood.

"One of them moved down the cliff, he wouldn't be fleeing." Synnova said, frowning.

"The sewers!" Erza shouted. "Of course! They could follow the water line and end up behind us. Synnova-"

"I'm on it!" She answered.

"Good. You'll be able to get there easily, follow the canals until they end into large pipes. Swim down and you'll be in the water system."

"Ugh, water." Synnova muttered, but shot off.

A flash of toxic green suddenly passed over their heads, scarily similar to the poison that had crashed into the guild.

"I've got it Erza. You and Natsu cover the frontline." Mirajane ordered. Any trace of kindness was gone, her face set into a mask of determination.

"Alright." Erza nodded at her. "Natsu, ready to fight?" She turned to him with a smile.

"I thought you'd never ask!" He exclaimed, setting his entire body ablaze.

Erza smirked at her teammate, re-quipping into her Black Wing armour. A large sear materialized in her hands and she shot forward.

000

"Fucking HATE water!" Synnova grumbled, looking at her drenched clothes. She had finally reached the water system of the city, but not without completely soaking her clothes. It was entirely pitch black, but she saw everything as if it was noon on a hot day. Synnova pulled herself onto the small walkways following the river system and started walking.

The sound of slow, trudging footsteps interrupted her thoughts; they made a soft, squishy sound every half second. It was difficult for her to track the sound; it seemed to be coming at her from every direction. She rounded the corner quickly, nearly running into the figure.

"Bastard!" She exclaimed, leaping backwards on instinct. She crossed the flowing water and ended up on the other side, eyeing her opponent.

The strangest thing about him had to be the bright red bandana wrapped around his jaw. It covered everything below his cheekbones, including his mouth and nose. He had red eyes like Synnova, traits all Second Rank Ragnarok wizards wore forever. His were strange though, they weren't angry red like usual. They were a dull crimson, almost calming.

Synnova shook herself back to reality, he was her enemy. "Cat got your tongue?" She sang with a smirk.

The person didn't answer. He simply nodded slowly, so slow his shaggy brown hair didn't move at all. He moved suddenly in a fluent motion, grabbing his long black robe and flinging it off.

Synnova gasped.

Nearly every inch of his body was covered in tattoos. Snakes, angels, crosses, weapons, flames, demons, skulls, barbed wire, this guy had gotten everything. You had to look for patches of olive skin under the black thicket of tattoos. The flowing design of it was unnerving. The only places without tattoos were his bare feet, his head and where his tight shorts were, the only clothing on his body.

He flung out both hands, palms towards Synnova, and showed her two places where space had been saved for words.

The left arm read "Ink Heart" and the right read "Karu".

"That's a funny way of introducing yourself." Synnova frowned. Karu lowered his head at her, his eyes shifting moods. They screamed apology and forgiveness.

His placed his right hand on his left arm and slowly pulled out a long, barbed wire. Synnova watched in surprise as the tattoo came off his body, stretching into an eerie, ink-black, thick barbed wire in Karu's hand.

"Tattoo magic?' Synnova guessed with a cocky tone. His eyes sent out his emotions again, forgiveness, apology, it was inhuman how he could speak with them.

Karu leapt while Synnova was dazed, whipping his barbed wire dangerously.

The girl sent out a crescent of shadow, knocking the whip off course.

"You can't beat me!" Synnova insisted, ducking under his swung wire. "Darkness is my element!"

To prove her point, Synnova shot three short blasts of shadow quickly at him from multiple angles. He raised his left arm, were a detailed gauntlet was tattooed. It flared to life and became a thick, steel glove. He swung it as if it was a latex glove, knocking her attacks away from him.

Synnova gowned, forming shadow around her into the shape of a sword. Karu made no noise and reached onto his bicep, where he pulled out a curved dagger.

000

"Three of you? Erza commented with a frown, flapping her wings three times and rising above the fight.

"He's my twin!" One insisted.

"We're street performers!" Another insisted

"You're pretty!" the third one said in awe.

"You're strange, she commented, running her eyes over the shirtless males.

They looked like you had asked a kindergartener to put on his war paint.

First of all, he had Spiky red hair that looked like a scene experiment gone very wrong on it. The skin on his face was so white, there's no way it couldn't have been natural, even his lips were white. Here comes the weird part:

The skin on his arms were indigo, his torso was blood red, his legs were orange, he wore gauntlets made of green steel, and his leather neck-pauldron and his fluffy Aladdin pants were purple.

"You look like you've been bathing in unicorn barf." Erza commented grimly.

"That's impossible, I _am_ a unicorn! A fourth one insisted.

"Where'd you come from?" She whirled on the floating person.

"Watch closely, scary-sword-lady." They all said in unison, which on its own was downright strange. All form of them flickered and separated into two more of the strange people.

"Clones!" She growled, swinging her arm at one. She re-quipped a spear halfway through her motion; the man stood no chance as it cut though him cleanly. Strangely, its body made no noise as its top half slid off. They both fell to the earth, bleeding sand as a person would blood.

"Which one of us is the real Shin?" They asked eerily, doubling themselves again into fourteen. Their red eyes blazed at once with utter hate.

"Shin?" Erza asked, turning slowly. They had moved into a circle around her.

"We are "True" Shin as you are Tittania." One explained.

"Which one of us is True Shin?" One inquired.

"Wanna go out?" the hopeful Shin from before asked. The ring of Shins slowly began to rotate around her, but made no move to attack her.

"Is there even a real Shin?" One chuckled evilly, making him seem all the more like a clown.

"I don't care how many Shins there are, you will all fall for laying a hand on Fairy Tail!" She swung her spear wildly, chopping off the nearest one's hand. He stared at in disbelief, watching sand seep from the stump eagerly.

"You can't fight us all!" They insisted in unison, charging her. Erza spun, swinging her spear and slicing cleanly through two Shins. She kicked off of one and lowered herself in the air, requipping two swords instead.

"Come and fight us Tittania!" They taunted as one.

"I plan on doing just that!" She yelled, shooting back up at them. No inch of multicolored skin was safe from her. She moved in one fluent, moving motion that managed to attack multiple targets at once. Her swords chopped off feet before necks, torsos and arms, somehow all in one swing.

She hovered, breathing heavily for a moment. Five Shins remained, and they laughed uncontrollably as they doubled, and ten doubled, and then doubled against. Erza cursed at the solid wall of Shins, raising a sword.

000

"Alright!" Natsu yelled loudly, flaring the air to life around him. "Finally! A battle!"

"Natsu, engage the female." Erza ordered; keeping her eyes on the flying male that was her brother.

"You don't have to tell me twice!" He exclaimed, shooting off from his position. He shot past battling mages, a quick red streak that left nothing but a slight stench of ashes.

His darting eye's locked on the red-haired girl, and he altered his course to run into her.

"Ahh, brave Salamander. I have been _waiting_." She purred, strutting towards him. She was a woman whose entire personality flowed through her step. Her elbows were pushed back, her chest was thrust forward (brandishing her large breasts), her hips swayed with every step, which were announced by the large click of her high-heeled leather boots. Her seductive aura was accentuated by the tight, black, lather body suit she wore. It clung to her body; tight as a nun's... you get the idea. Anyway, every bodily "asset" popped out of the suit, which opened for her shoulders and cleavage, the latter being a hole cut into it specifically for that purpose.

Natsu yelled at the top of his lungs, stemming his raging emotions into his punch. His friends suffering around him. The pain Ragnarok had cause them, the misery Ragnarok had thrust upon hundred of citizens, they all strengthened the flame around his fist.

He fell forward. A falling feeling flashed through his stomach momentarily, like when a step to a stair is farther than you expected. His tummy calmed itself and he whirled around, planting his feet firmly.

She had _dodged_ his punch.

"Now must we be so rude?" She scolded. Tokiwa had to call it over her shoulder, for she still hadn't moved from side-stepping Natsu's punch.

"Stop moving!" Natsu ordered, rushing forward. Her body dispersed around his thrust foot, flowing around it similar to sand in the strong wind.

"You can't touch me Salamander." She explained, her body materializing behind him. "My body moves as fast as sound itself."

"So _you're _Banshee." Natsu growled, whirling around again to face her.

"Glad to be noticed." She smiled sweetly at him. "I am Banshee Tokiwa, Salamander."

"Don't speak my name like we are friends!" Natsu spat, relighting the air around him in a pillar of fire.

"Oh?" Tokiwa stuck out her lip in a pout. "Why can't we be friends? I have no quarrel with a powerful man like yourself."

"What's your problem!?" He screamed, flying at her. Nevertheless, she gently flowed sideways and out of the attack's range.

"You're too strong for Fairy Tail." She commented idly, ducking under a stream of fire. Her short, crimson hair flew around her head, but returned to its wing style. "I'd love to have you in Ragnarok."

The girl's eyes trailed up and down the attractive male, a tongue stuck out slightly and wet her lips. Strangely enough, it was _forked_.

"Don't waste your time, I'm not leaving Fairy Tail!"

"A shame." She righted herself into a ready position. "Now I must show you why I am called Banshee."

Natsu squatted down to begin a Fire Dragon's Roar, but Tokiwa stuck out her neck and yelled. Her thin lips pulled up over sparkling white teeth, and from her voice came a hellish cry.

It dug into Natsu's ears, like a burrowing porcupine that was trying to stab his eardrum with a sword. His hands flew to his ears, but he found his limbs barely able to answer. He only succeeded in slapping his head before falling to the ground, the full force of the spell only then dawning on him.

His bones felt likes hey were trying to expand. Stabbing pain lanced along nearly every inch of his body, twisting and distorting it into strange positions. The joints where the bones met vibrated furiously, making his clench his teeth at the alien feeling.

The red-eyed girl ended her cry and closed her lips, ending the torture. A snarky smirk replaced the spell's window at the sight of Natsu on the ground.

"I had such fun planned for us too; you seemed like such a great lover. I could have given you" She ran a hand along her voluptuous body slowly, hovering over all the right places. "Everything."

"Lucy's the only girl for me!" Natsu yelled defiantly, pushing himself to his feet.

Somehow, maybe assisted by Tokiwa's strong presence with her sound magic, it caught Lucy's ears. The blonde celestial mage beamed, spotting the pillar of fire that was her lover.

"Loke!" She snapped, cracking her whip with a smile. "Let's do this!"

000

"You follow me like an annoying pup, demon." Ralec commented flatly, still stalking away from the battle.

"You monster!" Mirajane spat, her eyes glowing with hatred. Ralec stopped walking, tearing his eyes away from the back alley he was about to turn down. She had followed him a good ways into the city, here would be fine.

"Monster?" He urged with a smirk, although there was no hint of satisfaction in his voice.

"You poisoned Fairy Tail, didn't you?" Mirajane growled; her small hand curled into fists.

"Some of my best work." Ralec commented, spitting a lime-green wad of spit on the ground. It landed on the marble and sizzled, eating away at the stone structure like the acid it was.

"You sick, cruel _monster_!" Mirajane screamed the also word, tears gathering in the bottom of her eyes. They didn't know the pain they caused, the time it took to heal a decision they made without a second thought.

"Fight me Mirajane." He challenged with a blank grin, no emotions fueled the expression. When his lips curled back in the smile, green saliva dripped off of the yellow teeth. They fell to the ground in drops, burning stone where they landed. He settled into a position, his black hair swaying. It was thick, greasy, and unwashed, ragged locks struck out at random times.

Mirajane's face set with grim determination. Her eye's carefully scanned the thin, scrawny boy. She was amazed he was strong enough to stand, his skin was sickly pale and his body put a toothpick to shame. He blinked slowly, and she gasped when his eyelids revealed now-fully red eyes. It was uncanny; his entire eyeball was a solid red color.

"How does my poison feel?" He asked suddenly in a dark tone. "I chose is especially for you, Fairy Tail. You see, I _am_ poison." He lifted a hand to his mouth and Mira winced as he pricked it with his teeth, summoning a slim trail of blood. It flowed freely to the ground in an acid puddle, eating away at the marble beneath his feet.

"No one knows poison like Toxin Ralec, except you are getting quite familiar with it." Ralec tilted his head to the side, smirking. He studied the green tinge to her skin, the way her breath rasped ever-so-slightly, and how when she moved it was lagged and stiff. "How does it feel, my poison seeping into your body? Inhaled through your lungs, contaminating your breath, soaking into your skin, flowing through your bloodstream, the virus attacking you from the inside out. Can you feel it tugging at your health? I can see it; it weighs you as if your clothes are leaden. You are sick, and in no condition to fight."

Ralec lifted a hand, and from the pores of his skin came toxic-green ooze. It shaped itself into the likeliness of a flame, and even wavered like it's inspiration's true form.. "And so, now I will kill you."

"_NO_!" Mirajane screamed, her eyes flaring. Ralec looked away from the flash of light, which was soon followed by the infamous transformation.

"Now..." Ralec looked over his hand at Mirajane's Satan Soul. "Things are getting interesting."

000

"Seedling." Lilac reminded, tipping her head towards a Fairy tail mage that was too close for comfort. Sebastian raised a hand lazily and shot a beam of light through Bickslow's spine. The Seith mage didn't even know the man was behind him as he slumped to the floor, dead.

"I thought I was sapling." Sebastian grumbled in complaint, apparently unaware of the murder he had committed. Freed Justine noticed his friend fall to the ground, and his head stood locked at the sight. His body refused to turn away, and he couldn't tear his eye's away from the agony that was torturous to him.

"I've demoted you to seedling, shall you prove yourself here then you may regain your past honor." Lilac explained, walking past the mage who shared her strange hair color.

"B-Bickslow?" Freed's eye witched subconsciously, and without noticing his sword fell to the ground. He was so dramatized, he didn't notice the beam of energy until it sliced through his skull.

"Don't lower your guard, fairy." Sebastian scolded, lowering his hand with a satisfied smirk.

_**I had watched up to the Loke arc when I wrote this. All magic and characters I came up with were completely original as far as I knew. If a character in the series is similar in appearance, personality, or magic to these, it was unintentional.**_

**I thank my friend, whose name I am not saying for her privacy, for helping me with these characters. Winter Owl, you really helped my thinking tank come up with these four spanking new characters that are my new pride and joy! :D**


	24. The Big Bang Pt 3

**I got bored so I'm doing this...**

Previously on _The Big Bang_

Happy: After Mason got totally pwned by Ragnarok, he thought he was too weak so-

Mason: Get lost stupid cat! Only I get to do my biography!

Happy: Then he and Dante got in a fight! It turned out kind of pointless so Mason ran away with Paro!

Mason: YOU'RE SAYING IT ALL WRONG!

Happy: Mason trained with the former Council Mage Hislen while Paro spent time with his attractive younger sister Crystal!

**(I changed it because people were getting confused with her and Maryanna's nickname. I also changed it in chapter 21.)**

Paro: What are you trying to put off, cat!?

Happy: He_ liiiiiiikes_ her!

Paro: GET BACK HERE YOU LITTLE PUNK!

Happy: Anyway! Ragnarok got _really_ mad so they gathered up their Second Rank wizards and they attacked Fairy Tail! The Crimson Sibling Tokiwa and Shin attacked Natsu and Erza!

Natsu: Don't worry, I'm gonna totally kick her butt!

Happy: The bandit Karu attacked Synnova in the sewers,

Karu: ...

Happy: And Ralec got Mira to transform into a demon! Now were gonna see how everyone else is doing!

000

"Sound Magic: Thunderclap!" Tokiwa yelled, holding her arms out sideways.

"How am I supposed to fight something-"Tokiwa slammed her hands together, emitting a shrill noise that knocked Natsu backwards. "I can't even see!"

"Dammit..." Natsu grumbled, getting up in what had to be the most ungraceful way possible. "I've gotta stop her magic... what can I do?"

Hs eye's flicked over his surroundings, acting smarter than most people gave him credit for. Wha did he have at his disposal? What could counteract her magic? Could anything help his magic?

Natsu grinned, revealing his pointed teeth. Why hadn't he have thought it before?

"Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu yelled, spewing forth a vortex of fire. As he expected, Tokiwa disappeared to dodge it.

"Fire Dragon's Punch!" Natsu slammed his flaming fist into the ground, making him look like a fool to any onlookers. Although it made his fist hurt like Mavis, it summoned a satisfying cloud of dust that was more than enough for him to slip away, unnoticed.

"LUCY!" Natsu grabbed her shoulder suddenly, scaring the girl out of her socks.

"Natsu!"She shrieked in surprise. "Don't worry about me, you should be figh-"

"Shut up!" He cut her off sharply, making Lucy take a surprised step back. His hand flew to her waist and he snatched her key ring.

"Natsu! What's gotten into you? Those are mine!" Lucy reached for them, but Natsu held her away.

"C'mon, c'mon..." He grumbled as he shifted through the gold keys. "Which one is the stupid goat?"

"Natsu... What are you talking about?" Lucy said; hoping speaking at a slower pace would make the dense dragon slayer hear her.

"Aries! The wool thing!"Natsu held up the correct key triumphantly.

"It's a ram." Lucy growled in defense, snatching the key from him.

"Summon her! I need her!" Natsu urged.

"Open..." Lucy frowned at Natsu, but cut through the air with the key. "Gate of the Ram! Aries!" She trusted him, but Natsu had better give her an explanation when he was done.

Aries wasn't present in the human world for a second before Natsu was all over her.

"You called Princess- oh!" Aries shivered nervously at the closeness of the Dragon Slayer.

"Gimme gimme gimme!" Natsu said excitedly, plucking at her clothing.

"NATSU!" Lucy screamed, reaching for her whip. "What's wrong with you? Leave Aries alone!"

"This stuff is wool, right?" Natsu said, holding up the white fluff he had taken from Aries's clothing.

"Um... yes..." Aries mumbled, trying to step away from Natsu.

"Awesome!" Natsu yelled triumphantly.

"You'd better explain yourself right now!" Lucy ordered, stepping in front of him. She cut off any route of escape from the crowd around them.

"No time!" Natsu responded before slapping Aries on the shoulder. "Sorry for that, but thanks for the wool!"

"Y-your welcome..." Aries looked down nervously.

Natsu spat on the wool and mixed it together hastily. He then ripped it into two pieces, and then shoved the sticky fluffs into his ears.

"Ewww." Lucy grimaced at her boyfriend, who was practically giving himself a wet willy. He responded by giving the two of them a thumbs up, not being able to hear anything.

"Try and attack me now, Tokiwa." Natsu said, growling with satisfaction. At least that what he thought he said, his own words didn't reach his ears.

"..." Tokiwa screamed at the top of her lungs. Natsu couldn't hear a lick of it, but she sure looked mad. Her lizard tongue flailed around while she threw around her head in rage.

Her rage at losing her opponent was probably why she didn't even see Natsu as his flaming knee sent her across the trampled ground.

Tokiwa stuck her long nails in the ground and skid herself to a halt, leaving long mark in the ground. Her tongue fell out of her mouth on its own accord now, but she stuck it back in to say something.

"Have you I'm gone sell you!" She yelled. Okay... maybe he was a little off. He didn't exactly have a bachelor's degree in lip reading. He didn't need to know what she was saying to beat her up. Heck, there are too many quotes in battle scenes nowadays anyway.

As Natsu bounded towards her he saw her cast several spells, she even tried to do her banshee scream, but nothing worked. Thanks to his quick thinking, her magic was powerless.

"Tokiwa!" He yelled, although he couldn't hear himself. "You'll regret the day you stood against FAIRY TAIL!"

Natsu planted his left foot around, his shoulder facing her. His momentum swung his body, and easily brought the tip of his boot into Tokiwa's chin.

"She's outta the park!" Natsu threw up his arms and exclaimed. He covered his eyes from the morning sun and squinted to see her form flying through the air. Her momentum failed her, and she fell out of the air and over the edge of the cliff, into the water and sharp reef below.

"Alright." Natsu stated firmly, ripping a wool piece out of his ear and throwing it on the ground. "Now, let's get serious." He continued on the other ear, squishing the pieces under his foot when he was done.

"LET'S GO RAGNAROK!" He yelled, igniting the air around him. "I'M ALL FIRED UP NOW!"

000

"Wakaba..." Cana stumbled over to her constant drinking partner. She barely had the energy to make it there and fell into his arms, nearly giving in.

"Cana, stand up." Wakaba grumbled, helping her back to her feet. "I'll clear a path for you to retreat; hopefully you'll make it out of the vicinity of the battle."

"No Wakaba..." She smiled sadly. "I'm going down fighting... I just wanted to do it... with my old drinking buddy."

"Sounds like a plan, babe." Wakaba gritted his teeth over his pipe, but managed a smile.

_Thud_.

Macao's body appeared behind Cana, from his chest protruded a spear. The spear that was aimed for her back, the spear that _should_ have pierced her chest and killed her

Words were lost to Cana's ear's, time slowed. A series of swords made up of only purple smoke inched past her slowly, aimed for a mage somewhere in that direction. Macao's body slowly fell, her grasping hands missing him by a hair.

"You bastard." She said, tantalizing slow to her own ear. "You should have let it fly." His body hit the ground and time sped up again. She zipped over to him, awkwardly propping him up, for the protruding spear made it difficult to lay him down.

"C-c..." Macao attempted, but cut himself off with a fit of coughing. In a particularly wet-sounding hack, he coughed a generous amount of blood over his own shirt.

"Macao!" Cana yelled, grabbing his shirt. She shook him back and forth as if she could simply shake him out of his injuries.

"R-rr-r-r..." He paused for a moment, blood trickling down both edges of his lips. "Om-meo." He managed to finish, only due to his patient planning of the word.

"I'll take care of him!" Cana nodded her head furiously. "I'll raise him like my own son!"

"Grre-re-r..."Macao stumbled on the difficult word, settling for an easier: "Good."

Macao's eyes closed and his eyes shut for the last time. As he passed, the smile on his face slowly faded, never seen again.

On the morning of September the 21st, Macao Conbolt passed away. The Purple Flare mage ascended into the second world peacefully, his mind at rest.

He had died defending his guild and saving a guildmate, plus his son would be in the loving care of his best friend, Cana. In the moment he passed, a small, pessimistic piece of his mind remembered he had broken his promise to Romeo.

000

"I despise your choice of colors." Erza frowned. "You look like an army of clowns."

"What are ya," A Shin snuck up behind her, sticking a multi-colored head in her face by surprise. "Afraid of clowns?!"

"No!" Erza said in defence, slicing its head off smartly before turning to the mass around her.

"We've had-"One shin began.

"Our fun-"Another added.

"But now-"A third said. Erza hates it; she had to snap her neck in every direction to catch the snippets of their sentence.

"We must-"

"Kill you-"

"Titania Erza." One ended with a smug smirk.

"We will see about that." Erza said through clenched teeth, preparing a re-quip. "Where is the real Shin? He hides behind decoys and shields himself form a real fight!"

"I told you, he was my mailman!" One insisted with annoyance.

"But you said he was-"The particular Shin who was infatuated with her insisted.

"Shut up!" A third hissed.

_Amazing, they are copy's but they somehow have individual personalities. _Erza thought.

Erza requipped into her Sea empress armour, but not before shooting up to the same Shin.

"Can you tell me?" She asked in her most seductive voice, running a slow hand down it's chest. "I won't tell anyone."

"Don't tell-" One tried to interrupt, but Erza shot back a hand and delayed any hopes of advance with a number of jets of water. The shin's stopped in midair, the wet sand making their bodies fall apart. They slumped to the ground as wet piles of the sludge.

"I'd do _anything_." She returned to her target, performing the same action with her hand.

"He's there!" He blurted, pointing to a cluster of fifty or so Shin.

"Thanks!" Erza said mockingly, punching her fist straight through the middle of its chest. She shot forward in the direction of his finger, but was cut off by a multitude of Shin who had apparently decided to fight.

In the beginning it was easy. Erza performed her deadly dance and they fell like dominoes, she simply had to swing. They had no care for their own lives and made no move to defend themselves, simply throwing their bodies at her.

And then, the fist gauntlet met the small of her back.

She gasped in surprise, amazed that something had slipped her seemingly impenetrable guard. In reality it was impressive she had defended from so many targets for this long.

Sadly, her small action cost her punch across the chin, knocking her out of the air. Titania landed on the packed ground graceful as a cat, landing mid stride and preparing herself for the approaching Shin.

"I'm getting annoyed!" Erza warned, shooting forward. Several of her flinched around her flinched instinctively, but soon realized the anger wasn't directed at them.

Erza met the mob furiously, swinging steel with the ease usually only granted to bodily limbs. Again, she was overpowered and met with a series of gauntlets pounding her frame in several places.

She leapt back with a grunt. Movement was now rewarded with pain due to the numerous bruises that were sure to show on her body soon.

A rather brave shin shot forward, flinging a fist. It hit Erza, but only her palm as she caught it in the air.

"Huh?' Shin's eyes widened, he had thought he was attacking a target that wouldn't retaliate.

"Attacking Fairy Tail was the worst decision of your life." Erza growled, raising her head. Her eye's blazed with hate, far brighter than the dull flame's collecting around her fists. Using her newly changed Flame Empress Armour, she shot out a wave of fire and melted the shin into a perfect statue of himself, but in glass. She shot pas tit, sure to use her foot to shatter the Shin into a pile of glass shards.

"WHERE ARE YOU!?" Erza demanded. She ran, slowly lengthening the flames along her arms into long, thick ropes. She swung and twirled them around her, leaving a wake of glass Shin statues wherever she passed.

She stopped and crossed the arms over each other, cleanly statue-ifying every Shin in the mob in front of her, except for one.

"True Shin..." Erza recognized with hate, spotting the burned figure on the floor, surrounded y prefect glass personifications of himself.

Erza waited no time in fancy endings. There were no quotes or speeches, just action as Erza drove her sword through True Shin's heart before he could rise.

00

Dante caught the bright streak out of the corner of his eye, and he cried out when he saw it pierce Maryanna's octopus form. The ribbons loosened from their taught formation and fell to the ground in a messy pile.

"MARYANNA!" Dante dropped his sword, caring little for earthly possessions when Maryanna was in danger, and leapt towards the falling form. He reached out and snatched her slim hands in his own, a welcome felling to the dangered female. He pulled her to his chest and wrapped his limbs around her protectively. The two revolved (purposefully, at least for one of them) until Dante was on the bottom and they slammed into the marble, spewing forth a small dust cloud.

"Dante!" Maryanna cried automatically, crawling off of Dante. Due to his heroic gesture, she was nearly unhurt. She latched onto his hand, just as he did hers, and gripped it tightly.

Dante's eyelids opened tentatively, revealing their different colors. The blue eye glinted aquamarine in the morning light, as the green did emerald.

"What's got you so worked up?" Dante said to her worried face, wheezed out a sentence finally. When his lip curled into its classic Dante smirk, Maryanna knew he was at least thinking straight.

"C'mon Teddy, we need to get up." Maryanna insisted happily, wrapping a helpful arm around his shoulders.

"I can get up on my own." Dante grumbled, but didn't protest physically as he accepted the help up.

"Looks like we aren't doing very good Teddy." Maryanna said sadly, knowing that he took was surveying the battle scene.

"Mason..." Dante sighed in annoyance. "Where are you? We need every mage we can get."

000

Crystal folded the laundry aimlessly. She had little dirty clothes, but she washed them anyway. There was little else to do. She usually would talk to Hislen, but he was gone on a trip to town.

She looked down the empty hall with a sigh of annoyance; the house was so empty now.

000

Synnova held her sword at an angle away from her, staying on guard as Karu attacked her furiously. He held two daggers now, one held backwards and one forward. He attacked gracefully, spinning and twirling with a slashing-type technique.

His left dagger the one held backwards, ran across her black sword with a metallic ring, although both weapon's origins were not of the earth.

He had attacked with slightly more vigor and consequently and his arm was splayed out more sideways, his fist noticeable mistake.

Synnova flung her sword over her head, a rampant and raw move, but the one she could perform quickest. The strong attack was deflected sideways off of his right dagger in an unbelievable block.

Unconvinced, Synnova swung her sword back and forth in front of her, ungraceful and caused by temper. Karu look a step back casually with each swing, raising a knife to deflect each individual blow.

Steel cut through air, a whisper of wind tickled Synnova's cheekbone as Karu's dagger sliced right beside it. The black blade reflected no light, for there was no light, and it was an eerie shade of pure black, so pure even Synnova couldn't see it clearly. To her, it was a black void in the shape of a blade.

Synnova gulped, meeting Karu's eyes. Neither of them made a move to do something about the dagger beside Synnova's temple. A single strand of Synnova's hair tickled the side of her face on its way down, cut by Karu's precise move.

His eye's screamed warning, sending a clear message. He had stopped himself once, and he wouldn't do it again. Maybe here was a surrender warning somewhere in his iris's, but as a member of Fairy Tail Synnova didn't register that.

His mouth bandana fluttered as Synnova shot a wide beam of shadows into his chest, taking advantage of his mercy.

"SHADOW MAGIC:" Synnova held her hands away from her face, shadow gathering around them until there was large orbs around them. "Darkness Bomb!"

She slammed her hands together; a huge eclipse of shadow erupted forward. She forced herself to press them together harder, to continue the powerful spell. The eclipse widened into a pipe shape momentarily before fading into nothing.

Karu's body was pressed into the concrete wall, pressed so far in that he wouldn't be noticeable from the side. With a clunky movement opposite his usual grace, he tugged his arms out for their hold and fell forward.

Synnova snorted in satisfaction, putting her hands on her hips. "You didn't think you could actually beat me, eh kid?"

A slight flicker of movement, barely noticeable by her, happened on the floor in front of her. Her gaze latched onto it, and she barely saw a black magic seal twirl on the floor before the darkness attacked her.

Several thick forms leapt off Karu's upper back. Only their eyes weren't black. They were red, burning coals set into the head of twelve snakes, the number of snakes coincidentally being the name of the spell.

A single snake sank its teeth into Synnova's arm and she gasped. It flexed its neck muscles, pushing the long teeth up into the hilt. She grabbed it around the throat, but was cut off by another biting her ankle.

"NO!" Synnova yelled in simple defiance, squeezing the necks of both of the snakes in hopes they would break. Four snakes melded together, creating a central snake the size of a telephone pole. This one tasked itself with twisting it's head sideways and taking Synnova's entire torso in it's mouth, making her cry out in pain.

The other snakes found their own places on her body, teeth finding flesh on her other arm, leg, shoulder and collar.

The assailment stopped, but he snakes remained. Karu walked with agonizing patience, torturing Synnova as he found his way to her.

"Y-you b-bast-tard." Synnova stuttered, her body shaking back and forth. The alien objects sinking into her flesh make her shiver and throb in uncomfortable pain.

Karu grabbed her hair and hauled her off her feet, making her sob in simple pain. The infamous knife reappeared in his hand with a black flash, raised to her throat.

"G-give me m-m-m-y f-final words." Synnova begged.

Karu stopped, his body perfectly still. He was a man of honour, and he nodded slowly.

"I wish that I had,"Synnova began slowly, but cut herself off. "Darkness Form, INFERNO DEMON!"

The snakes instantly erupted in flames, turning to ashes on the floor. Her hair burned several hundred degrees hotter and Karu dropped her, stepping back in fear. It turned blood red, slicking itself into the likeliness of a flame and wavered slightly, similar to a real match flame. Synnova's clothes changed, she now wore a red corset with orange crack's running across it similar to cooling magma. Her high boots had been replaced by red, claw-like talons. Red eyes were blazing infernos, putting all other Ragnarok mages to shame.

Her hand shot out and wrapped around Karu's throat, unchanging except for pointed red fingernails. They grabbed it firmly, her nails pressed points into his neck until thin lines of blood trickled down it.

"I aint S-class for nothing, boy." A deep, knowing voice that wasn't Synnova's announced. "Twin Magic: double vortex."

From her other palm erupted a swirling vortex, lined with strands of orange and black. It struck Karu firmly in the chest and sent him through the wall. He kept going, breaking another wall so he was on a different block of pathways.

She could see his body, and it was unmoving. Satisfied, she returned to her normal body and slumped against the wall.

She hadn't used that magic since she first obtained it from Mirajane. She remembered how it was tearing up the poor barmaid, having that demon inside of her. After being kicked out of Ragnarok for defying Sebastian aka coming to her senses, she had joined Fairy Tail. She had noticed the hidden fire in Mirajane since her first day away from Ragnarok.

After offering to lift her burden from her, they had traveled to a Magic Blocking mage Synnova had known from Ragnarok. There, after a delicate system of blocking and directing Mirajane's magic, she had put the demon persona inside Synnova. Mirajane had retained her Take-over magic, but the second personality was outside of her and she had complete control of the magic. Also, Synnova had gained the demon and therefore the magic. With it, she had achieved S-class with only slight difficulty.

Of course, the girl demanded it be kept a secret. To this day, it remained nothing more than a knowing glance across the room.

000

"Makarov..." Lilac's thin lips curled into a smile. She was here, and here was her prize. All she had to do was grab it. "A seedling inside a great oak's body, how unfortunate."

"Lilac Rosewood." Makarov looked to the doorway of his guild where he had waited. He sat on a table, wearing his saint cloak. His regular staff rested against his shoulder, and he did not look up to see Lilac. "Leave this place now, and take your criminals with you. You have spilled the blood of my children, and I will punish you if you push further."

"Oh Makarov, such a polite greeting after so long." Lilac responded cheeringly. "How long has it been? Forty years?"

"Since you were expelled from Fairy Tail for charges of assault." Makarov finished for her.

"The logging crew was cutting down the forest." Lilac growled in defense. "They had to be stopped, without the trees we will all die."

"Forty years." Makarov grunted. "You've been holding up well."

"Are the great cedar groves shrivelled and old? Great Mother blessed me with long life to carry out her will." Lilac answered with satisfaction.

"I may be a little older than you, but I've got more fight in me than you'll ever have." Makarov growled back.

"Great Mother is in imbalance, and its imbalance is Magic. Fairy Tail destroys things without thoughts of reclamation; your destructive ways have come to an end!" Lilac exclaimed. "My brethren rejoice. Fairy Tail is on its knees! It is over Makarov, your end is nigh. We, Ragnarok, have brought your end. We have brought your Ragnarok!"

"Don't give me that nature bullshit." Makarov growled, making Lilac's thin eyebrows shoot up in surprised. "Just because you went crazy after leaving Fairy Tail and lived in the wilderness for a decade doesn't mean you can talk to Nature."

"How DARE you defy Great Mother's will!" Lilac screamed in a piercing, shrill voice that would have made Tokiwa drool in envy. "I-"

"You want the Ursa Major key!" Makarov cut off. He read her expression, and he knew it to be true. "Well it isn't here."

Lilac hid her raging emotion well. He had to be bluffing, her spy had given her accurate information of everyone leaving the guild hall since the ball, and there was no way they had moved it.

"Hear that?" Makarov grunted. "Half of your S-class is dead, Ink Heart is defeated, and Mirajane is just about finished with Ralec. You've done all this for nothing, no gain."

"Nature's Will!" Lilac had heard enough, and she raised a hand. A bright green circle appeared in front of her hand, and a series of thick vines shot out. Each one was as strong and thick as a telephone pole, dotted with sharp thorns.

Each of them stopped in mid air, a golden magic circle stopping every vine.

"You captured and tortured one of my son's, Mason Marcotte." Makarov growled, his hand still thrust out. "You have attempted to disrupt our family with your blind rage. I won't allow it! I must avenge my fallen children!"

"Wrath of Gods!" Makarov announced, standing up finally. The air around him flashed with brilliance, and it slowly rose up around him in a pillar. It grew higher and higher, casting shadows although it was full daylight. Lilac summoned a defensive flower bud around her, and it shielded her from the residual magic. Even the stuff in the air could almost kill an average mage. It stopped suddenly, and Makarov was so big, he barely fit in the room. His muscles now bulged from his huge chest.

"YOU HAVE ATTACKED FAIRY TAIL," Makarov boomed. "YOU WILL PAY FOR HURTING MY CHILDREN!"


	25. The Big Bang Pt 4

"Evergreen!" Jet risked a burst of speed from his magic, zipping quickly to the buxom brunette.

"Jet?" She turned, relief spreading on her face as she caught sight of him. Jet's eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly. He remembered a time where Evergreen hated his guts, now she was brightening at his very sight. This war sure was changing everyone. "Thank god, I haven't seen any of Shadow Gear in awhile, I thought-"

"It's Freed." Jet cut off. The rate of which Evergreen's face lost its color was astonishing. "Droy said he saw him go down."

"Take me there!" Evergreen demanded, snatching his wrist. Jet took a different approach, taking her in his arms bridal style and speeding off. He hated wasting so much magic, but this was for his friends. He shouldn't even hesitate to risk energy for their sake.

Spotting Freed's lime green hair on the ground, Evergreen kicked out of Jet's arms and stumbled over to the leader of Thunder God Tribe.

"Freed!" Evergreen screamed, lowering herself beside him. She stopped, waiting for a reaction. "Freed!" She reached down and cradled his head. It was ice cold. Out of respect, Jet looked away and busied himself with spotting his team in the crowd. "Freed dammit, we need you."

"FREED!" Evergreen slapped his dead face, determined to wake him up. "Wake up Freed! You're not dead, you're not! Wake up Freed!"

"How you holding up?" Droy whispered to his best friend, barely audible. Jet still nearly jumped out of his skin though.

"Terrible man..." He muttered in response once he had gotten over his momentary scare.

"I can't breathe..." Droy said seriously, dropping to one knee. "I'm so tired... fought so many... feel like someone's squeezing my throat..." Droy continued, taking breaks to fight for air.

"Droy!" Jet said, kneeling beside his teammate, mirroring the scene beside him. "Don't talk like that Droy! You're fine!"

"No... I'm not." Droy met Jet's eyes, grinning a sad smile.

"C'mere." Jet tried to wrap an arm around Droy's shoulders, but it was slapped off by his friend. "C'mon dude, I'll carry you out of the battle." Although he offered with grim determination, in his heart he knew he wouldn't make it. His limbs seemed leaden, and they only continued to move with a stubborn defiance of fate. He was utterly exhausted and was on the verge of passing out.

"Hey Jet..." Droy grabbed his friend's collar and pulled him closer.

"Droy, c'mon... get up." Jet muttered, trying to keep his eyes open.

"Jet... Take care of Levy, okay?" Droy looked at him seriously.

"Bro, don't talk like that!" Jet demanded, tears gathering in the bottom lids of his eyes. "Get up dude!"

"Do it!" Droy gripped Jet's shirt tightly, shaking it weakly. "Look after Levy."

"I'll do it..." Jet sniffed loudly between sobs. "I'll look after Levy."

"Good..." Droy said. He let go of Jet and his entire body seemed to drop. A wave of horror passed through Jet when he thought his friend had died. Droy's eyes flashed open suddenly, and there was a faint glow coming from his left shoulder blade visible even through his shirt.

He surged forth with the last of his life reserve. Huge plants sprouted in his wake, brandishing sharp thorns and trunks the size of a man's thigh. They shot forward, aiming for the chests of unready Ragnarok Mages.

"Droy!" Jet screamed helplessly, falling to his knees. He sat and watched his best friend make his final stand in a crowd of dark Mages.

"Fairy Tail!" Droy called, out spinning and directing the vines that came to his call. It worked surprisingly well, taking at least a score of Ragnarok Mage's lives through their chest.

Droy's body suddenly stiffened. His mouth stretched open at an uncomfortable angle, his body arched and his eye's spread to their full size. A flash of light suddenly shot out of his eyes and mouth, beams lighting up out of them before ending. The cause of it was the killing blow that had been delivered by light magic to his back.

"Disgusting." Sebastian mumbled, kicking Droy's dead body to the ground. "Your hair looked like a swan." He spat in addition, adjusting his beloved comb over with two fingers.

000

"This isn't what we planned!" Evergreen spat at Sebastian. "You said my team wouldn't be hurt!"

"It's your fault really." Sebastian answered casually, studying his fingernails. "You should have done a better job specifying who they were."

"MY FAULT!?" Evergreen screamed. She had agreed to spy for Ragnarok only to carry out Laxus's wishes. Once everyone else was gone, her and her team would be their new Fairy Rail, and they would create a new, better guild from the ashes of it's pathetic past. Of course, she hadn't told Freed. He had gotten all lovey-dovey with all that guild friendship crap lately, he would have shot down the plan. But now...

Freed was dead.

Bickslow was dead.

Laxus wasn't even here.

She raised a hand to her glasses to pull them down, but her body stiffened and slumped forward.

"Thank you Ronald." Sebastian said; his gaze still on his fingernails. The mage who stood behind Evergreen nodded and turned back to the fight.

Evergreen's body was stomach down on the ground, the large scorch mark now visible on her back. Her mouth still lay open in surprise and her eyes glazed with shock.

"Such a pity." Sebastian muttered. He was apparently satisfied with his fingernails and stuck both hands in his pockets, surveying the scene casually. "They are barely putting up a fight anymore."

Sebastian was right. In the first few minutes of Battle, Fairy Tail fought fiercely and killed many Ragnarok mages. Even he had to admit Fairy Tail was the stronger. Of course, as Master would say, the climbing ivy strangles the great oak to dust.

They had planned their retaliation carefully. Once what magic energy they had left was gone, Ragnarok fought back easily. The mages of Fairy Tail were beaten, broken, bruised, and tired. Barely any of them could even manage a spell anymore.

000

"Ralec..." A deep voice growled. The demon who said it was staring deeply at a figure in the alley which she had grown to hate. She shot forward, swinging her large claws at the frail boy.

"This is utterly pathetic." Ralec muttered, easily swaying out of its trajectory. Mirajane surprised him with countering quickly, landing a kick on his hip.

The demon gasped, pain lancing up her leg.

"Idiot." Ralec continued, grabbing the foot with his hand. He shoved it on his skin, forcing the prolonged contact. His Acid Armour spell had covered his entire body with a layer of acid, but his enemy had stubbornly insisted with melee attack. Even with her lack of strength, Mira managed to pull away her leg. Although she was out of contact with the poison, an ugly red welt now covered a large section of her shin.

"You can't beat my poison!" Ralec yelled in a monotone. The combination of loud yelling and uninspired speech would have sounded comical in a normal situation.

Ignoring his unintended vocal humor, acid clouds burst to life around Ralec's hands. He simply walked forward and gripped Mira's throat, no defense being visible. The demon spell sued too much energy for her tired body, and fighting back would make her shift back to her normal human form.

Nevertheless, Mirajane shrieked in a high-pitched tone. The corrosive acid burned her neck at an unimaginable level-

And then it was gone.

She knelt on the marble in her normal dress coughing painfully and clawing at her injured throat.

"How about you don't do that again." A familiar voice growled.

"_Laxus_?" Mirajane breathed hoarsely, looking up at the back of his cloak.

"You know it babe." Laxus snickered, and hope flooded through Mira. Laxus hadn't been exposed to the poison, he was at his regular level, or so she assumed. If they could make it to the frontlines... Maybe, just maybe, he could fight Ragnarok and rally Fairy Tail. He was an S-class mage and a Dragon Slayer, it was possible.

Laxus wasted no time in pinning Ralec to the wall and coursing electricity through his frail body. At first it burned his hands like Mavis, but soon he shocked him enough that he lost his grip on the spell. Its remnants burned his palms, but it couldn't have been close to the pain Ralec was feeling.

"That's MY girl!" Laxus insisted, shoving him deeper in the wall to emphasize his point. Yellow light danced around Ralec's body. His back arched and his mouth was wide open, screaming silently. His limbs spasmed helplessly, making quick, jerking movements.

"Laxus!" Mira grabbed his shoulder. "Laxus! He's had enough!"

"But he burned you!" Laxus countered, looking down at her shin. "He's gonna get it for burning my gi-"

"STOP IT!" Mirajane grabbed his wrist, slowly pulling it off Ralec. Reluctantly, Laxus released his prisoner. To his surprise, Mirajane instantly wrapped her arms around his neck. He snickered, revelling in the feeling of her breasts and taking an unnecessary handful of her beautiful ass.

Nearby, Mira felt something shift, almost a change in the aura around her. She couldn't place its source, which was in fact the rooftop beside her.

After a look of disapproval and a frown of jealousy, the figure delayed no more and continued his trek.

000

"Nature's FURY!" Lilac screamed, slamming her thin palms together. When she completed the simple action, twenty vines the size of oil pipeline's sprouted from the ground around Makarov in a circle. They all shot towards the short master at once.

A bright light flashed through the room, and all of the vines fell to the floor in ashes. After the drain of energy from the spell, Makarov swayed on his feet. The energy needed to sustain his Titan spell had left him long ago; it strained him to keep up with the energetic female mage.

"Maybe you _are _getting old Makarov." She smirked at him, ending the assailment of attacks for a moment. "You are long past your bloom."

"Shut up, Lilac." Makarov growled. "You're not exactly young yourself."

"I'm sixty-five." She spat, her lip curled in slight annoyance.

" 'Been forty years since you went batshit crazy and lived in the forest for a couple decades." Makarov chuckled, he couldn't help himself.

"Enough!" Lilac snapped, suddenly eager to attack Makarov again. She crossed her arms over each other and scissored them, sending out sixteen rock-hard leaves at high speeds.

Makarov's fists erupted in fire and he met the leaves in the air. He punched each one out of the air individually, so fast the human eye couldn't track them.

"You cannot defeat Fairy Tail!" Makarov promised, sending out a stubby leg followed by a brilliant beam of light.

"Nature's Will: Venus Absorption!" Lilac flayed her hands in front of her. An eight-foot tall Venus fly materialized in front of her, mouth closed. It had large mouth spikes, nearly a foot long, that ensured any prey caught in its mouth stayed that way.

It's mouth opened so wide, they formed a flat oval of the inside of her mouth. The light beam struck the middle of it perfectly, going apparently down its throat. The plant flashed a pure white and a beam twice the size of Makarov's shot out of its mouth, sending the short master flying across the room.

000

"Fairy Tail!" Sebastian called out from his high point. He walked across Fairy Tail's guild hall roof before leaning against it. To add to the mockery, he even yawned out of boredom.

"Grant me a minute of parley." He said, surprising everyone. "My guildmates will not fight while I speak to you all, only if your's do not strike at us."

"What do you want, Sebastian." Gray stepped forward, choosing to speak for his guild. They could all use a rest from the battling, even if they gave Ragnarok the same respite.

"I'm disappointed in you, Gray Fullbuster." Sebastian raised his chin and smiled at Gray, especially at his angry reaction. "I'm disappointed in your whole guild actually; you've barely posed a challenge. IM almost bored."

"Well then you should have fought us one equal ground, like a man!" Elfman boomed, making fear flash across Sebastian's face momentarily. That was Elfman for you, scaring enemies from 200 yards away while he himself could barely stay on his feet.

Sebastian's hand shot out and he ripped Fairy Tail's flag off of its hold, brandishing his prize of war above his head proudly. A cheer erupted from the Ragnarok section of the crowd, testing the resolve of testosterone-filled men like Elfman.

Sebastian hopped to the ground, still holding the orange flag above his head.

"You are defeated, Fairy Tail! After hundreds of years, my master has brought your Ragnarok!"

More cheering.

"We will end your reign of terror and ignorance!"

Natsu grinded his jaw at the whooping agreement from around him.

"I, Sebastian Alclave, will prove your demise." He raised the flag high and held a hand under it, palm up.

Erza gasped as a flame sprung to life in Sebastian's palm, mere inches from their precious flag. Sebastian beamed at the attention he was getting; the looks of horror were just the cherry on top.

A boot connected with Sebastian's chin with monumental force. He instantly dropped the flag and shot backwards in a straight line, crashing into the guild hall at an amazingly high speed.

He growlded, getting out of the rubble clumsily. After making sure his suit wasn't too dusty, his eyes shot to the culprit.

Green energy surrounded the figure's fists, brightening every several seconds in a pattern. Around his entire body, the air shifted and ripples, similar to a fire on a cold day. Small pieces of debris and rocks floated around him, an unintentional effect of the powerful magic.

"That's our flag, bitch." Mason growled.


	26. The Big Bang Pt 5

"Mason!" Dante cried out in joy. Maryanna shouted something similar, clinging to her lover's arm.

"I can't believe it." Erza leaned shakily on a sword. "He came back."

"Good timing, May-May." Synnova crossed her arms and smiled a rare grin.

"You again." Sebastian spat. His hatred only helped Mason, knowing he caused Sebastian annoyance was pure pleasure to him.

"I'm back." Mason stated proudly, rising to his full height. "And I brought friends."

"It seems I am a bit... late." Gildarts stepped forward, surveying the damage.

"Let kick some ass." Paro stated, opposite Gildarts. He smashed his knuckles together happily. After many months he would be able to use his magic again, let alone alongside his father. Laxus had come along with the trio, but had abandoned the group on their travel along the rooftops. They had continued without him, not bothering to try and delve into Laxus's tendencies.

"You boys ready?" Mason beamed, lowering himself into a familiar stance.

"You know it." Gildarts flung off his cloak.

"Time for payback." Paro glared at his long-time captors.

"Fairy Tail is behind you guys." Dante held up two cards between his fingers.

"I'm all fired up!" Natsu exclaimed, erupting the air around him in flames.

Sebastian's finger's twitched nervously, this wasn't planned. Evergreen said they had left the guild for good. They weren't supposed to come back and rally their guild, let alone bring two fully charged S-class mages with them.

"We have a score to settle." Mason stated flatly, flinging off his cloak. To Sebastian's surprise, the Fairy Tail Mages stepped away from him and his counterpart. Out of a grudging respect for him or just acknowledging Mason's will, they wouldn't take Mason's sweet revenge from him.

"Let's go Fairy Tail!" Paro surged forth suddenly. To everyone's surprise, two pillars of pure diamond rose from the ground on either side of Paro. The points followed him like magnets as he ran, slowly turning their course so they were going parallel to the ground. Before anyone could react, they broke free and flipped sideways, rolling over scores of Ragnarok Mages.

"Haven't seen that move in a long time, son!" Gildarts took his place beside his brethren. With a hand gesture, the ground up to forty yards in front of him exploded and sent rocks and Ragnarok Mages alike everywhere.

"Wait for me!" Cana jogged up to her brother and father. They stood together, although Cana breathed alot harder than the rest of them.

"It's been a long time." Paro raised an arm completely encased in crystal-clear diamond.

"Since we've fought together." Gildarts added, raising his explosive fists.

"As one." Cana pulled out three cards.

"The Clive family" They said in **unison**, rushing forward in a v-formation. Gildarts led the charge with his two children flanking him.

"What do ya say," Gildarts scanned the huge crowd of Ragnarok Mages. "You think we can take the North flank?"

"Let's do it." Paro placed his hand out in front of him, palm down.

"Together." Cana added, laying her smaller hand on her brothers.

"As a family!" Gildarts yelled, slamming his larger hand on the pile. They stood shoulder-to-shoulder and pointed their hands threateningly at the crowd, who was slightly confused.

"TRIPLE UNISON RAID!" They called together, draining the hopes and dreams of a good portion of the crowd.

The air around them pulsed with blinding light. It rose upward in a pillar, lifting any loose articles of clothing and long hair as if in low gravity. It strengthened at where their magic met, the pile of hands in front of them. The air thrummed with pure power as the spell threatened to cast at any moment.

It stopped.

The air returned to normal, clothing and hair lowered itself. The brilliant light stopped, revealing three surprised Clive's. They all seem to let out a sigh.

Ragnarok began to cheer, the spell had failed. Fairy Tail wasn't invincible, even when the most powerful family (alongside the Strauss's) teamed up.

A single card zipped forth from nowhere. It was pure black and without design. It shot through the crowd, not striking anything until it hit the ground.

The world exploded.

A huge shock wave rocked the world off its hinges, breaking bones just from the amount of pressure traveling through the air. Every Ragnarok Mage got knocked down, and a handful even died from the sheer force of the first part.

A number of diamond pillar the size of school bus's burst from the ground, scattering the mages and leaving the ground a chewed up wasteland.

All across the battlefield, random effects fell upon Ragnarok Mages. Lighting cackled along the ground, smoke shot out that would made them fall in sleep on the spot, fires erupted in random plumes; ice formed in random places along the ground, several women in bikinis even materialized.

"Fuck yeah! We did it!" Paro exclaimed simply, portraying everyone's emotions perfectly.

000

"Did I miss something?" A bolt of lightning shot in front of Lisanna, materializing into Laxus. He held out his hand and grabbed the iron beam headed towards her face.

"Laxus!" Lisanna cried out happily, friends rushing past her. Fairy Tail was hurriedly trying to regroup into a single ball so they could attack outward without worry.

"You sound surprised I came to save you!" Laxus pointed out, shocking the owner of the spell down his bar. The Iron Mage didn't stand a chance against lightning. He didn't say he was being especially nice to try and achieve his fantasy of a Strauss sister threesome.

"Natsu! Gajeel!" Laxus bound into the air suddenly. "Wendy!"

"Lightning Dragons..." Laxus arched his body backward, his chest puffing outward. "ROAR!" a huge cackle of lightning shot forward, thickening into an unmatchable pillar. A pink-haired boy leapt into the air beside him.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu performed a similar ritual, spewing forth a sizeable sized pillar of seething flames.

"IRON DRAGON"S ROAR!" Gajeel boomed, adding his own spell from somewhere on the ground, shooting it in the same direction as everyone else.

"Sky Dragon's Roar!" Wendy squealed finally, rising in the air and adding her cyan breath spell into the bunch.

The four spells met at a definite point, blazing into a spinning, multicolored, spiral. The huge spell sharpened into a cone shape and struck the ground, uttering a great crack from the ground.

When the dust cleared huge cracks ran across the ground, a huge crater stuck out where the spell had hit, and hundreds of Ragnarok mages lay motionless on the earth.

"Well, it looks like you did something useful after all." Laxus wiped his lip, turning away from the wreckage.

"I'm about to show him how 'useful' I really am." Dante winked at Maryanna, stepping forward out of her grip.

"Card Magic:" Dante unfurled a generous hand in front of his enemies. "QUEEN'S DANCE"

The sound of steel being unsheathed could be heard, and then random wounds erupted on countless Ragnarok Mages.

A blue streak was all that could be seen of Dante. His spatha shined with sick satisfaction as it tasted the blood of dark mages everywhere. He moved with impossible speed, his wrist having only a tenth of a second to move slightly, turning his spatha so it sliced across a Ragnarok chest before he stepped to another mage.

To everyone else's eyes, Ragnarok wizards were just crying out wantonly_, _**(do I get 10 points for using that word?)**unable to defend themselves as wounds opened up on their body, spurting forth blood.

Dante suddenly stopped, his body becoming visible momentarily while he hurled a card behind him. It stuck in the neck of a charging Ragnarok mage far away. He chortled once on his own blood before falling to the floor at Mason's feet, his weapon dropping from his hand.

"Got your back jack." Dante called out quickly, shooting Mason with a finger gun before returning to his quest for blood.

"Thanks Dante." Mason whispered, smiling at his friend's still-present loyalty. His head snapped back to Sebastian with a wrong.

"Sebastian."Mason began simply, shuffling sideways slowly. Sebastian copied the act, and they were soon circling each other. "There is no way you can win."

"Is that so?" Sebastian asked confidently. "Do tell, oh great wizard Mason."

"I've gone over this exact situation over a thousand times in my mind." Mason flung off his shirt suddenly, revealing a set of visible muscles that Mira would never admit she got a good look at. "I have gone through our past battle in my head a thousand times more. I have memorized your every movement, every technique, every reaction, there's no way you can surprise me."

"Your over-estimate your abilities." Sebastian cut off. "I am the stronger mage, you must know that."

"I am the stronger!" Mason promised. He held up both of his palms for Sebastian to see. "You see these two scars?! What, you don't remember?! You nailed my hands to a wall!"

Mason's hand shot to his side, showing his full chest scar. "You see this one!? You burned all of the skin off my ribcage. I have endured a lifetime of pain, I am the stronger!"

"Sebastian," Mason stated firmly, his jaw set. "I have come here to kill you."

"Gravity Magic:" Mason yelled suddenly. "FORCE CLAP."

The energy around his fists enlarged to the size of exercise balls and he leapt in the air above Sebastian. He spread his legs and slammed them together above his knees, uttering a low boom and sending out a vertical shockwave.

"That's new." Sebastian remarked, side-stepping the attack and engulfing his right fist in energy. "But not exactly IMPRESSIVE." He leapt at his old prisoner, taking the battle to the air.

"I'm gonna KILL YOU!" Mason promised, bringing a boot around his body and into the approaching fist.

Sebastian caught it smartly, twirling Mason several times before striking him back down to earth.

"Dammit! I hadn't thought of that." Mason admitted, his body making an indent into the marble. Before he knew it, Sebastian was flying his way, a huge ball of light held at the ready. Mason grinned, adjusting the gravity around himself carefully.

Exhilaration ran through Mason's veins, readying the muscles it found. A familiar lightness overcame him; he was filled with energy. His core thrummed with excitement, sending blood to all his extremities. His fingers curled and flexed, readying themselves. His lungs felt no strain as his breathing quickened, adding to the overall effect.

Mason's body slipped underneath Sebastian's falling form, as if he had been slicked with soap and you tried to step on him. It curled upwards and floated above Sebastian as he hit empty marble.

Sebastian's feet landed firmly and he brought his hands down. The energy hit the marble, creating a huge, impressive, but completely unnecessary crater underneath him.

"Graaaviiityyyyyy..." Mason began, stretching out the word. Sebastian's looked up, and a look of surprise and _fear_ was very visible on it. "PALMS!"

Mason's body crossed the distance between him and his rival instantly, slamming both of his palms into Sebastian's pectorals.

Sebastian stifled a cry as his body slammed deeper into the ground. Mason didn't stop there as Sebastian expected, but latched on and continued with the gravity.

The air around Sebastian tightened its hold. He couldn't breathe, every single inch of his body was being pushed inward, his heart had trouble beating-

_Crack_

If he could have, he would have gasped as a rib broke. No, he couldn't. There was NO way this punk was taking him down.

Mason flew off of Sebastian and into the air as he unleashed an astonishing amount of light energy between their bodies.

"YOU ARE NOTHING!"Sebastian screamed, his face contorted in anger. He stumbled to his feet, a flaring white pillar accompanying him.

"Ohhhhhh shit." Dante said, stretching the first word as his head tracked the flying form of Mason before it burst into the large cliff side.

"I am tenfold your pathetic strength!" Sebastian continued, his fists blazing with white light. Mason attempted to stumble away from the cliff, but Sebastian threw forward a hand and hurled a huge piece of energy at Mason, slamming him back into the wall.

"You will fall with your guild!" Sebastian promised, pushing Mason deeper into the cliff with another blast.

The blast struck Mason with a terrible burning sensation feeling that stiffened his muscles and made him want to cry out in pain.

_Dante_. The word echoed through his mind on its own accord as the pain from the blast subsided.

"You are pathetic!" Sebastian shot a short beam at Mason. This one hurt alot more, earning Sebastian a sharp cry for his efforts.

_Mirajane_. He forced the thought stiffly.

Another blast sent him a good foot deeper into the wall, tunneling his vision.

_Paro_

He screamed in pain as his body was forced through the cliff rock. Every time the strong pain returned, another name popped into his head wantonly.** (2x modifier)**

_Maryanna._

_Synnova._

_Master._

_Natsu._

_Gray._

_Erza._

_Lucy._

_Cana._

Mason managed a stifled breath, taking a step forward in his new tunnel.

_Lisanna._

_Loke._

_Elfman._

_That creepy girl that always follows Gray._

Mason raised a shaky hand and pressed it against the jagged tunnel wall. Slowly, heused it to help him take another step.

_Jet, Droy, Levy, Wendy, Macao, Wakaba, Gajeel, Laxus, Freed, Gildarts, Evergreen, Reedus, Nab, Max, Alzack, Laki, Bisca, Bickslow-_

"FAIRY TAIL!" Mason shot forth from his tunnel, a glowing green comet that smashed into the white aura.

Mason's fist cracked across Sebastian's face, and he couldn't help but grin in satisfaction.

The well-dressed antagonist stumbled backwards before levelling out. He spat a wad of blood on the ground, wiping his lip with the edge of his hand.

"I have endured lifetimes of pain!" Mason screamed, tendon's in his neck throbbing and sticking out. He sped past Sebastian with new vigor, turning kicking him in the back before Sebastian could turn around.

"Don't think you can put out my flame so easily!" Mason leapt forward, bringing a knee into Sebastian's temple and knocking him the other way.

"Don't think my determination is so fickle!" Mason screamed, sweeping his feet along the ground and knocking Sebastian's out from under him. Mason prepared himself mentally as Sebastian stumbled to his feet. This was it; he was going to finish it right now. He surged forward, holding a spread hand behind his head.

"I'm going to k-" He slammed his palm forward, but it was caught by Sebastian. A sick grin spread onto the supposedly injured face. A twang of warning pulled at Mason's core, but it was far too late.

"Purity Phoenix!" Sebastian called out, slamming his other hand into Mason's gut. A huge white beam carried Mason upwards, still draped over the front of it. It curved and curved at more of an extreme angle until it was going straight up.

The beam suddenly flung out wings, and its point thinned into a head and sharp beak. The large wings spread wide and revealed the full body of the energy phoenix. Sharp talons were tucked in underneath a long, dazzling tail that was nearly as long as the phoenix itself. It had quite a small head in fact, curled atop it sat a small tuft of sparkling hair. Its wing's were the most impressive part. They were big, huge in fact, and had at least a thirty foot wingspan. They were a sparkling, pure white color that made the full moon look pewter in comparison. Wherever they went, they left a visible trail of sparkles that rivaled the stars behind him. Impaled on the beak of this phoenix was a small mage.

The phoenix tilted its wings and they caught more air, slowing it down and curving its trajectory. It arced shallow, creating a dazzling rainbow of sparking trail while it curved down to earth. It dipped down sharply, quickly ending the rainbow. The bird made straight for the ground.

"Mason!" Maryanna called out, her eye's twinkling with newborn tears.

"He's fine!" Dante yelled, grabbing her arm and bending his own neck to spot their friend. "He's got this!"

"Should we do something?" Gray asked seriously.

"HE'S GOT THIS!" Dante bellowed, turning on his teammate.

"H-he has to..." Maryanna added in a shaky whisper.

The phoenix picked up speed, heading straight for the ground. Its detailed features blurred with the speed, slowly melting into a long drip behind the phoenix. The wings began to melt away also, adding to the thick tail and brightening it. The phoenix looked like a comet crashing to earth, a thick body with a long trailing tail. Only the phoenix head remained, diligently impaled through Mason's gut. It's long, sharp beak poked out nearly a foot on the other side of Mason, a detail only visible with the decreasing altitude.

Mason's ragdoll arms suddenly found stiffness. His shaking hand's slowly stiffened as well, and finally his fingers stood still. As he was hurtling towards the ground, he touched his fingertips together, making a rough ball-shaped finger cage.

The air swirled to a point between his palms. He borrowed gravity from the increasing g-force around him; it turned to green energy and gathered in a tiny ball forming inside his hand cage.

He dug further into the huge reserves around him, and the gravity ball swelled to the size of a basketball, completely covering his right hand.

He was getting closer to the ground, and therefore running out of time. His open mouth flapped comically as he sped through the air faster.

He grabbed a flux of increasing gravity and fed it to his ball, making it increase to medicine ball size. It looked like he was wearing an over-inflated boxing glove.

Ragnarok cheered as the phoenix was nearly at the ground, while Fairy Tail cried out in turn.

Mason grabbed every ounce of gravity around him and twisted himself. To his surprise, the phoenix's beak broke and stayed in his chest, but reattached when he had completed his turn. It shone brightly and then wavered, reattaching itself as if it had never broken.

Mason's eyes flashed open; they were blazing moss-green. IN front of his right eye, his tattoo blazed proudly.

He held out his hands and placed all of his gathered gravity on the ground inches from his face. In a flash, he changed the gravity to energy, energy in a specific shape. Because of the lack of dimension, from every angle Mason's energy could be seen.

It was the Fairy Tail guild mark.

The phoenix stopped in its tracks.

Mason stood rigid; his palms still out, and hovered inches above the floor. Between them he held the guild mark, the large amounts of gravity having reversed all of the momentum instantly. The phoenix remained, its tail flickering absently as his trip had been abruptly stopped.

"Impossible..." Erza breathed. Mason had stopped the phoenix inches before it slammed him into the ground with perfect timing. He had even gathered it in the shape of his guild mark, a silent tribute to his family.

The phoenix suddenly dispersed, swirling into a blob of white energy without form or structure. It followed the flow of gravity, gathering inside into Mason's energy between his hands.

"NO!" Sebastian screamed at an unmanly pitch. "NO! IT"S IMPOSSIBLE!"

Mason fell to his knees, his head bent forward over his gathered energy.

"You see Sebastian..." Mason began without lifting his head. "We Gravity Mages can turn gravity into energy, just like how you can turn light into energy."

"SHUT UP!" Sebastian yelled. "SHUT UP! I HATE YOU!"

Mason chuckled, getting up. He held one hand near his shoulder, palm up like a waiter holding a dish. In it sat a base-ball sized ball of light green energy. The color created from the mixture of the two magic's, the size from Mason's tweaking while he was bent over. "Have you ever heard of The Big Bang, Sebastian?"

"I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" Sebastian surged forward, fists flying. Mason calmly caught a wayward fist, stepping under it and slamming the same arm's elbow into Sebastian's ribs.

"The Big Bang was when a point of infinite density-"Mason cart wheeled with one hand, catching Sebastian's head between his heels. He lifted his one hand, twisted, and slammed Sebastian's body onto the ground. "Expanded rapidly."

Sebastian grumbled something that contained alot of curses and hauled himself to his feet. His ever-perfect suit was tattered and stained, his pocket hankie was ruffled and unfolded (much to Dante's anger), and his comb over was all but gone. The normally shiny black hair was dirty and untamed, sticking in every direction.

"NOW" Mason said sharply, meeting Sebastian's hate-filled glare. "As punishment for attacking Fairy Tail, you will be put through this."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Sebastian said simply, his breathing ragged and hard after the use of breath.

"I have here a point of density." Mason held up his ball of energy and Sebastian's eyes widened in horror. He turned and stumbled several steps in flight, but Mason surged after him in pursuit.

Mason grabbed the scruff of Sebastian's neck and whirled him to face him. He gripped the ball of energy and shoved it down Sebastian's throat, his arm and all.

The sickly feeling did not last long as he released his hold on it and retreated his now-wet arm. Sebastian bent over in pain, having an entire arm just stretched his throat to much past its comfortable size.

Not wasting time, Mason grabbed him by the back of his custom-tailored tux and threw him in the air several feet. Mason's boot glowed green, and he spun his body with the glowing extremity trailing behind. As he flopped helplessly through the air, Sebastian's eyes met Mason's one last time purely by chance.

"I hate you." Sebastian choked/gasped, his hazel eye's flaring with untold amounts of anger.

Mason's glowing boot met Sebastian's ribs and sent him into the air, hundreds of yards above everyone. The quickly increasing distance made it difficult to hold the spell, but Mason hoped he could perform the simple command before it was impossible to him.

"Now EXPAND!" Mason commanded, and light flared from Sebastian's form.

As promised, a deafening _bang_ went through the air, actually rendering several people temporarily deaf and paining everyone's eardrums.

The energy overtook Sebastian's body instantly, turning it to less than ashes as a white brilliance overtook it. From the swirling mass of light, the phoenix materialized. It spread its wings and struck a regal pose. With Mason's added magic, feathers on it wings as well as its tail and its head tuft had turned moss green, resembling the mixture of magic. It flapped its wings once, the motion dispersing it to nothing.

The remaining energy sizzled away, leaving a black sky. Everyone blinked the stars out of their eye's, unsure of what had just happened.

A low _thump_ echoed through the awed silence, and everyone's heads snapped to the direction of the guild hall. Makarov stood there, and he looked like hell. Most facial hair on his face was burnt off, his Saint Cloak was little more than shreds, and uncountable bruises and large cuts covered his body.

On the ground, where he had thrown the unmoving body, lay Lilac Rosewood. Her skin was now pure white, as well as every strand of hair on her body, even her eyebrows. Her lips retained their color though, the only trace of it on her entire body. What everyone saw was ten remains of a Fairy Law attack.

"Fairy Tail..." Makarov's eyes scanned the crowd consisting of only Fairy Tail Mages; the Ragnarok mages had fled at the sight of their strongest mages beaten down.

"My children... we are victorious."

Mason decided her had never heard Fairy Tail so loud as right then.

He made a choke noise suddenly and the huge wound in his gut lanced his torso with pain. He swayed back and forth, shuffling his feet rapidly in an attempt to stay on his feet.

He saw Dante running his way; arms spread forward and blue hair flailing. He was yelling something, but Mason didn't register it. His wakefulness was slipping fast, as he fell forward climatically.

Dante lunged forward, holding his arms out as if carrying something large. Mason's body fall into his arms softly.

"Mason!" Dante shook him softly. "Hey Mason, you awake? Stay awake dude, don't fall asleep."

"I can't fall sleep." Mason stated softly, "I can't."

"Why not?" Dante frowned in confusion.

"You said…" Mason took a slow, deep breath. "After our first mission, that you wouldn't carry me home again. That… I'd need to carry myself."

Dante chuckled at the leisurely answer, standing up with his friend in his arms.

"How about the guild?" Dante inquired with a smile. "I'll carry you to the guild; I didn't say I couldn't do that. I'll lay you down at the guild and you can rest while everyone takes their turn talking to you."

"Dante…" Mason beamed at his friend. "Some rest sounds pretty good right now."


	27. Laxus The Douche

Mason vaguely remembered being propped up against the wall on a table in the guild. His eyes were open, but his vision barely registered in his brain as he struggled with consciousness. The phoenix had not physically injured him, but the energy had really funked up his insides after being present inside him for so long.

Several other figures swept in and out of his vision, but none stayed very long. Apparently he wasn't much for conversation when he was barely conscious.

Long blue strands of hair covered up whatever Wendy was doing to his chest. A soft feeling slowly enveloped his mid-section. Her small mouth moved frantically, forming different words that didn't meet Mason's ears.

A loud pop sounded through Mason's ears, granting him hearing but paining his eardrum. It felt like his eardrum was inflating at about five thousand psi. After focusing so hard on his returning hearing, he automatically slipped back into full consciousness.

"-ucky. The spell wasn't meant to damage you, but rather let the ground do the work. It-"Wendy met his eyes, and she must have realized he was aware of his surroundings. She paused momentarily and kept his gaze, but then continued. "It actually wasn't that bad. It will feel strange for awhile, but the feeling will wear off. Do you need help getting up?"

"I'm fine." Mason croaked. He hadn't spoken in several hours and the words had been more of an exhale of breath than a word. He cleared his throat before repeating himself. "I should be fine Wendy, thanks for all the help."

Mason scooted forward on the table slowly, wary for whatever "feeling" Wendy warned him of. His long legs were finally enough to reach the floor, and he leaned forward and stood up.

The inside on the left side seemed to twist. It was a strange tingling feeling that made his entire body want to stiffen up until it passed. It flared more with increased movement, and the tightened breathing it spurred advocated for the action.

"You're taking steps like a pro!" Dante joked, making Mason jump. He hadn't heard the card mage approach; apparently he wasn't fully aware yet.

"Lilac." Mason spat the word he had heard from Paro at Hislen's.

"Arrested, awaiting trial from the council." Dante answered calmly.

"Sebastian?' Mason asked warily.

"Don't worry, he's long dead. You got him." Dante winked.

"Erza? Maryanna? Synnova? Paro?" Mason asked the whereabouts of a long stain of people.

"Erza is with the wounded, Maryanna is somewhere here..." Dante paused, scanning the guild for her. Mason looked at his boots, an awkward thought rising in his head.

"So... you and her...?" Mason muttered.

"Oh!" Dante inspected the roof and toyed with his cuff links. "Um... yeah. I hope you're not mad."

"Mad?" Mason frowned, but did not meet Dante's eyes. "Why would I be mad?"

"Well... she's your friend too, and you weren't here..." The two teenagers continued to avoid each other's gaze, looking like two toddlers told to apologize.

"I'm happy for you." Mason smiled slowly. "I could see the way you looked at her, she really liked you too."

"WHAT!" Dante snapped, whirling on Mason. "You knew she liked me?!" Mason had to hide a smirk, Maryanna had told him nothing but he couldn't pass up this opportunity.

"Oh yeah." Mason pretended to be inspecting his chest's gauze wrapping, which wrapped around his shoulder and his stomach. 'Totally in love, told me since the day I met her." Dante shuffled over to where Mason's head was pointing, desperate to grab his attention.

"You never thought, it never even _occurred_ to you that I might VALUE THAT INFORMATION!?"

"I thought you knew." Mason dodged Dante's gaze and turned away from him, forcing the blue-haired boy to chase a chance at Mason's gaze. "It was quite obvious."

Dante stopped in his tracks, his desperation gone and replaced with revenge. "Kind of like that time Mirajane told everyone how cute you were?"

"WHAT!?" Mason whirled around and his jaw fell six feet and hit the floor, his eyes stuck out.

"Mirajane would never tell anyone a lie like that." Laxus piped in from his table beside them. "She's only into me, everyone knows that."

"Actually..." Dante replied, "Everyone knows you're just obsessed with the Strauss sisters..."

"Shut up, mage." Laxus spat.

"Don't tell him to shut up!" Mason stepped forward, confidence still leftover form the fight spurring his actions.

What's your problem, kid?" Laxus spat, leaning back in his chair.

"I have a name..." Mason growled, clenching his fists. He bowed his head slowly, not even wanting to meet Laxus's eyes.

"Aww! That's cute! You think I care!" Laxus answered in a mocking tone.

"You know Laxus, you think you're so strong-"Mason said.

"I know I'm strong. I'm the guilds Ace, one hundred percent." Laxus cut him off with an impish grin.

"Then..." Mason continued, ignoring the interruption. "Would it really... be so hard... to fight... FOR YOUR GUILD!?" Mason's head snapped up and he screamed the last few words, catching everyone's attention. His baled fists automatically rose, expecting a move from Laxus.

"If I remember right, you ran away when you heard Ragnarok was hightailing it here." Laxus sneered at Mason.

"I didn't run away!"Mason defended instantly, much to Laxus's satisfaction. "I came back as soon as I heard and hauled your sorry ass here! I didn't see you stepping in to save your flag, Laxus!"

Spotting where it was going, Dante took Mason's side and stepped in to help his friend. "Ask anyone here, Mason is the bravest mage in Fairy Tail. He took on Sebastian and killed him himself!"

"Mason..."Mason whirled around, seeing Mirajane behind him. She shook her head slowly. Her hands were tucked together into her chest, as if begging. "Leave him be, don't pick a fight."

_I can't Mirajane..._ Mason thought. _I need to prove to people I love Fairy Tail. I need to redeem myself. _

"Fiery." Laxus commented with a snicker. "If you didn't have such an attitude, you might not be that bad. Too bad you're a weakling."

"I'm not weak Laxus!" Mason promised. "I actually FIGHT for my guild; I love my guild and everyone in it! That means I'm stronger than you'll ever be!"

Laxus's leg snapped out, knocking Mason's out from under him. Without warning, his fist erupted in lightning and he uppercut Mason, sending him flying upwards. Without even hanging his cloak, Laxus jumped up in the air to meet the falling Mason. He spun, this time lightning-kicking Mason towards the guild wall.

As he let Laxus hit him, not defending himself from his attacks, he gasped as his wound flared with pain.

He shot through the air, making an involuntary beeline for the wooden wall fo the guild.

"MASON!" Mirajane cried, watching the trajectory of Mason with horror

The wooden wall shattered around the boy, falling around him in a small pile of rubble.

"Weak!" Laxus spat, floating to the ground and landing a little bit more graceful than Mason.

"Laxus, how could you!" Mirajane screamed at the blonde man. "Mason is injured! He's your guildmate!"

"He was a mouthy weakling who needed to be taught his place." Laxus corrected, settling down in his chair. "And when you're done with your little boy toy, get me a beer."

"You're sick!" Mirajane spar, her face contorted in a grimace. "Is that all you care about? To think that I almost..." Mirajane sniffled, hastily wiping away the first stage of tears before scurring over to Mason's rubbage pile.

Laxus's eyes widened in realization, but even he knew it was too late. In his ignorance, he had thrown away his only chance with Mirajane. He looked around frantically, but sighed when he met Lisanna's stern glare. She shook her head at him in disappointment before turning away and ending the eye contact.

A fist thrust upwards suddenly through the wood pile. Mirajane sighed in relief and finished her trek. She wrapped her slim hands around it and attempted to pull it up, but it slapped her grip off. The protruding right hand pressed against a broken wall piece for leverage and pushed down, slowly rising Mason's body out of the rubble. His arched back was the first to shake loose it's dust, and was soon followed by the other arm.

"Are you okay?' Mirajane asked, checking his body for new injuries.

"I'm fine..." Mason grunted, definelty not being fine. He slapped off her fawning fingers and struggled his legs out of the rubble. Once his full body was in the open, he took a step towards Laxus, a noticeable limp now accompanying it.

"You want round two?" Laxus grinned widely. "You're weak AND stupid!"

"Mason, please." Mirajane's hand latched onto his wrist. To her surprise, her pleading tone made him stop in his tracks. "Leave Laxus alone. He isn't worth your time, I don't see why-"

"I need to redeem myself." Mason answered finally, tugging his wrist away.

In response, Mirajane wrapped her arms around his chest and hugged him tightly. He tried to trudge forward, but she held him back with all her strength

"You're being stubborn, just forget about it." She begged, pressing her forehead against his back.

"I need to-"Mason said, but Mira didn't need to hear the full sentence to know what he was going to say.

"No you don't!" She cried, hugging him tighter. Her breast pushed uncomfortably into his back, but she ignored it this time. "You did nothing wrong! You came back and you saved us! You brought Paro and Gildarts and... _him_. We have all forgiven you Mason..."

"But I left in the first place..." Mason breathed, looking down slowly out of shame

Mason turned his body sideways, so that Mira was leaning into the side of his ribcage. His eyes mapped her fine features carefully, and he heard a soft noise. Like a large sniff, but more-

It was a sob. She was crying.

_I MADE MIRAJANE CRY! OH MY GOSH WHAT AM I GONNA DO!?_

"Mira, why are you crying?" Mason asked softly, lifting her head of his chest.

"B-because I missed you..." She mumbled, sniffing several times before continuing. "I don't want to see you like this. We forgave you Mason; you don't need to redeem yourself. Please, stop worrying about Laxus. You're twice the man he is." An idea hit her, and she looked at Mason in the eyes.

"Do it this once, _for me_." She said with a small smile that _may_ have turned out sly.

"That's who I want to redeem myself with..." Mason mumbled, looking down in embarrassment.

Mirajane gasped softly, and she had to resist the urge to giggle.

Mason was jealous? That's what all this was about? Laxus saved her so Mason wanted her to look at him again? He proudly took every attack from Laxus and he would have taken a hundred more, just in hopes she would see him in a better light?

"Mason..." She said playfully, smiling her usual smile. "C'mere." She held out her arms and gestured him forward. When he took a step, she wrapped her arms around his neck and brought her head to rest on the taller boys shoulders. To any onlooker, it looked like a thoughtful hug, but they couldn't hear Mira's words.

"Laxus is a cocky, conceited jerk who sees women as objects. Don't even compare yourself to him; you're thirty times the man he is. You're wasting your time with him, and don't' worry about jealousy because... because..." Mirajane faltered, surprising even herself. "Because I already like you alot more than Laxus..."


	28. A Grieving Conbolt

"Mason!" Someone snapped. The word echoed through the guild hall, instantly silencing everyone. The person in question stiffened out of fear, facing away from the source of the effect.

"Yes, Erza?" Mason answered politely, slowly turning to face his likely doom. Once he was facing her, she charged towards him. Her metal boots stomped against the wooden flooring loudly, banishing any trace chances at stealth. Her scarlet hair flailed around her head, giving her a seemingly hellish aura around her face. Mason accepted his fate, making no move to defend himself as she grabbed the front of his shirt and lifted him in the air by it.

"You left." She spat the phrase as if it were the utmost, most rude insult anyone would think of in a lifetime.

"Yes, with Paro." Mason answered simply, resisting the urge to gulp.

"Why?' She growled, setting her jaw firmly. Everyone piped their ears in interest. They hadn't pestered Mason about it yet, knowing Erza would want to be the one to interrogate him. There was also a large chance she would injure anyone who stole the privilege from her.

"I needed to get stronger. Paro knew of a man that would be able to help me in a short period of time, so I left with him and spent a week at his house." Mason answered quickly. The sooner he could finish this conversation and get every set of eyes off him, the better.

"Who did you go to? Why didn't you tell anyone? Did you not know that Ragnarok was on our heels when you left!?" Erza countered.

Mason frowned at her, despite his suspended position. "I don't think I need to tell you who-"

Erza shot him a dark, cruel glare that made him shake in fear instantly.

"Hislen! Hislen Arcona! Hislen Arcona and his sister Crystal in a small cottage in the woods up north!" Mason shot out quickly. Satisfied, but not finished; Erza dropped him back on his feet.

"Why do you feel such a strong need to get stronger?" Erza asked seriously, dusting off her gauntlets after the action.

"Erza..." Mason whispered, looking down. "Can we talk somewhere else?" He knew Erza was a person of reason; he just didn't want to deal with a crowd right now. It had taken long enough to convince himself to leave; he didn't want to convince all of Fairy Tail.

"No Mason!" Erza swept her hand in front of her, a familiar, scary look coming to her face. "You left us at our weakest without word! We are your guild, we love and care about you." Mason swept his eyes slowly over the crowd. Natsu looked at him with kind eyes and a pursed mouth. Lucy furrowed her eyebrows and looked at him expectantly. Gray tried to avoid his gaze, but he could see the worried face in his face too. They really did care about him and where he was. They wanted him to be safe, and they were worried when he left. "We deserve an explanation, all of us." Erza finished sharply.

"You want an explanation?" Mason looked Erza in the eyes, but didn't give her a chance to answer. "I'll give you one!" Mason bounded several steps back before turning so he could see everyone.

"I left because I needed to get stronger." He began, looking at the small crowd before him. It mostly consisted of his close friends and acquaintances, people who cared about him enough to listen in.

"We know that." Lucy shot in, cutting him off.

"It may seem strange, but it was very important to me at the time." Mason responded. "I couldn't believe what happened at the ball. It was stupid and reckless of me to go. I wasn't strong enough yet and I forced others into a position where they needed to protect me. I was too weak, so I was captured." Mirajane bowed her head sadly. She knew what really happened, and it wasn't Mason's fault at all. She was being attacked by several mages when Mason stepped in to save her, and was captured. "I couldn't hold my own weight, and put my friends- sorry, _family_ "he corrected firmly, earning a nod of approval from Erza. "in danger to save me. I felt it was my responsibility to return those favors to Fairy Tail, and I was unable to do so at my past skill level. If I was stronger, I could protect my friends, and not need them to protect me. I needed to be able to serve Fairy Tail... and now I can." Mason ended firmly. His eyes scanned the crowd, challenging anyone to give feedback.

"Come with me." Erza spun on her heels and ahead for the door. We must see Cana."

"Cana?"' mason inquired, jogging to catch up to her. "Not that I'm complaining, by why her?"

Erza stopped abruptly, and Mason barely stopped himself before running into her.

"You'll see..." Erza said quietly before beginning to walk again.

000

They walked through the town, their destination shrouded in the confines of Erza's mind. The pair continued out of the city, and began ascending the tall cliffs overlooking the city. Mason's confusion increased with every step.

"Why are we coming up here? What's Cana doing on the cliffs?" Mason inquired.

"Shush." Erza snapped at him. "We are here."

Erza slammed her fist against a tree trunk, as if announcing her arrival. The sound of scurrying and crunching leaves was heard, and a flustered-looking Cana appeared from the trees.

"Mason?" She inquired towards Erza.

"An icebreaker for Romeo." Erza responded, earning a shrug from Cana.

"It's good to see you back." Cana said suddenly, remembering he was there, and more than just a conversation starter. She wrapped him in a friendly hug, and Mason did his best to not make it seem awkward. She retreated her arms, and then turned and set off into the bushes. Mason and Erza followed, and it soon opened up into a large clearing.

"Mason!" Romeo, the lone occupant of the clearing, exclaimed. His ace lit up and he hopped off his seat, an overturned log. His short legs scurried over to Mason and he wrapped his arms around Mason's legs in a hug.

"Hey Romeo." Mason smiled, petting the short boy's raven hair. On lonely days in the guild, he often found himself entertaining the young boy. He didn't mind taking him off everyone's hands, and he had always loved kids. He babysat in his old life, and simply enjoyed children's presence, especially Romeo's.

"Cana told me you summoned a phoenix! Is that true? I saw the big bird but I didn't see who cast it!" Romeo sputtered out, craning his neck back to look at Mason.

"I think you may have heard her wrong." Mason chuckled, lowering into a crouch. "I was the guy the phoenix took for a ride, and the guy that made it go boom."

"That hurt my ears." Romeo said in amazement, covering them with his palms.

"Did ya miss me?" Mason joked, ruffling Romeo's hair.

"Uh huh!" Romeo beamed proudly. "But you came back and beat up that light dude!"

"I did, didn't i." Mason smirked back at him.

"Romeo, maybe we should go back to the guild now." Cana said slowly, cautiously. Almost as if she was speaking to an injured animal.

"No!" Romeo said instantly, whirling to face Cana. "I can't?"

"Why not?" Mason asked, not spotting the furious head-shaking from Cana that urged against the question.

"I need to wait for my dad!" Romeo insisted. "My dad told me to wait right here and I need to wait for him!"

"Romeo..." Cana said slowly. "I told you yesterday... your father died fighting against Ragnarok."

"NO!" Romeo yelled his eyes wide like a cornered animal. He backed up slowly, waving his arms back and forth. Mason looked at the ground, still slightly blaming his own tardiness as the cause for Macao's death. "No, you're lying! My dad was the best! He told me he was better than all the other kid's dads!"

"Romeo... you need to come with Cana." Mason said slowly, taking a turn to urge Romeo's return.

"No, I need to stay here!"Romeo yelled, sniffling away tears. "I need to stay here and wait for my dad! He's gonna come back! I need to wait for my dad!"

"Romeo, your dad is in heaven now..." Cana said slowly.

"No he's not!" Romeo cried, tears pouring down his face now. He furiously wiped at his running nose with his sleeve. "My dad said he would come back, he did! If I go I might miss him! I told my dad I would stay!"

Mason exchanged frantic looks with Cana and Erza, looking for a hint on what to do. They barely exchanged an expression before Romeo shot into the woods without warning.

"Dammit!" Erza cursed rushing forward. "He can't get lost in the woods! It is gonna be dark soon!"

"I got him!" Mason promised, zipping past Erza and entering the woods.

The trees rushed by him as he made quick progress into the woods. He stopped suddenly, at a point where he guessed Romeo would have run to by now. He tilted his ear up and listened for any hint of noise, but got nothing.

Hoping he wouldn't be doing this al night, Mason turned left and started making careful mapping of the woods. He was only doing this for about five minutes when he heard soft sobbing.

"Romeo!" He called out, stopping abruptly.

"Go away..." the boy replied softly. Mason crept forward, seeing the boy's arm poking out on either side of a small tree.

"Romeo, I just want to talk." He said slowly, creeping up behind the boy.

"I don' wanna talk." Romeo mumbled in reply. Mason shot forward, asking his move. He shot in front of the boy and held his shoulders before he could escape.

"Calm down. I'm not gonna make you go away, yet." Mason said quickly in an attempt to quell the boy's panic. "

"Why brother..." Romeo said sadly.

"What!?" Mason snapped. "What did you say?"

"I said 'Why bother'." Romeo responded with the common confusion of a six-year-old.

"Oh..." Mason said quietly slamming a palm against the side of his head to clear hsi thoughts.

"What did you think I said?" Romeo inquired.

"I thought you said brother..." Mason said slowly, looking down.

"Why would you think that?" Romeo tilted his head at Mason and asked in innocence.

"You see... Romeo..." Mason scratched his head awkwardly, now truly understanding how Romeo felt. "I have a brother-"

"How old is he!?" Romeo burst out, hoping for a playmate in a guild usually filled with adults.

"I _used_ to have a brother your age, Romeo. He drowned last year." Mason responded flatly.

"Oh..." Romeo's hands shot between his knees and he looked down at an extreme angel. "I'm sorry..." he said in embarrassment. Mason smiled at the cute emotional display, but suddenly tilted his own head at the boy.

"You know, I never noticed it before, but you look kind of-" Mason's voice caught in his throat and his eye's widened in realization. "Exactly... like... Jace..."

"Mason..." Romeo said, squirming like he had to pee (although Mason hoped to god that he didn't). "Does missing my dad make me weak?"

"What?" Mason whirled on him, not expecting such a question. "No! No, Romeo! Of course not!"

"Okay... because the boys at my school told me crying means your weak; and I want to be strong! Like you and Natsu!" Mason's chest automatically puffed out a little, happy to be compared with the likes of Natsu.

"Romeo," Mason said once his torso had deflated. "If anything, it makes you stronger. You need to fight all those Dark Guild bad guys, once you get big of course, for your dad. Mad- I mean your dad would have wanted you to stay strong and get better, no to get sad over him. We don't live our lives grieving a lost one; we live our lives _for_ our lost loved ones."

"I guess that makes sense..." Romeo mumbled. He then looked up tot eh sky, muttering. "I miss you, daddy."

"I miss you, Jace." Mason breathed silently in response.


	29. Jace Marcotte Pt 1

The day started out fine.

Mason "stopped fucking around with mermaids long enough to thank her for saving his little ass" (Courtesy of BLEEHH ) took Synnova to lunch as a thank you. Jumping at the chance to have Synnova interact with other people, Mason invited several others. She had Mason with her, so she trusted him to make sure she left a good enough impression. They were walking down a marble path straddled by two canals, the quickest way to the guild. The humid afternoon air pressed softly against them, creating a constant stuffy feeling.

_GRUMBLE!_

"Synnova!" Dante accused. "You ate five platefuls, are you still hungry?"

"Sorry." She smiled apologetically. "It's just going down."

"Can't blame it; that was pretty good." Mason piped in.

"Their strawberry cheesecake was exquisite." Erza chimed in.

"Our waiter was pretty cute." Maryanna giggled.

"They didn't have ice in their drinks..." Was all Gray, the last member of their merry band, had to say.

A splash, shortly followed by a yell cut through their conversation. They looked to see a small child of about nine frantically flailing in the water.

"Somebody help him! He can't swim!" A lady screamed from on top of a bridge crossing the canal. They assumed that she was his mother, and that he had fallen off of the bridge.

"Hel-, Mommy!" The child sputtered, struggling to stay above water.

Mason looked left and right at all the shocked faces. Nobody was going to do anything, he realized. Without thought he flung himself into the canal in a swam-dive. The cries from his comrades were lost as shot under the water.

He sputtered to the surface, wet hair clinging to his face. He shook his head frantically, trying to get it out of his eyes. He had only had short hair all his life and he was still being accustomed to actually being able to see it. He spotted the flailing boy and swam over quickly.

"Stay above water!" Mason instructed. The boy flung his arms around him faster, making splashes as if he was playing. Mason struggled to get past his flailing limbs, angry that the child was fighting someone who was going to save him. With grace hidden underwater, Mason slipped an arm around the child's waist and held him firmly against his side. Even when he was safe and above water, the child flung his limbs around like a shaken ragdoll, set on struggling against whoever had him.

"Kid!" Mason winced, getting a wrist to the eye. "Calm down!" He couldn't reach the boy in its panic and gave up all hope on calming him downing, setting his new goal on reaching a small dock that jutted out into the canal, running parallel with the looming walkway above it.

Mason could tell that there was noise, probably coming from the people occupying the walkway and bridge. He blocked them out; there was nothing they could tell him that would help. They were probably yelling encouragement anyway, unless they were warning him about a shark in the water he would be fine.

The dock finally loomed directly ahead of him. Mason did his adopted one-arm stroke twice as fast, making it to the dock where people were now running to fill. He grabbed the child with both hands and thrust upwards, sending himself underwater but lifting the child completely out of the water. He felt the weight leave his arms and he did a mental sigh, floating above water slowly.

He placed both hands on the dock and pushed down, trying to lift himself up. He felt two strong hands on his shoulder and he was pulled out of the water.

Mason turned sideways and flopped on his back, breathing frantically. His heart beat rapidly, he had gone from a peaceful walk to frantic swimming in a moment and now he tried to calm himself down. The hands hadn't left his shoulder; they now helped him into a sitting position.

He opened his eyes now; they landed on a redhead with a hand on his shoulder and an unimpressed look on her face, as well as Dante to her right who still clutched Mason's shoulder.

"Why would you jump into a canal when you're still healing!?" Erza demanded. She brought her hand back and struck him across the cheek. It was not hard; she intended to prove her point, not injure him.

"Glad to see you survived too Erza." Mason grabbed Erza's arm and lifted himself up with it, grunting when the motion caused pain to his ribcage.

The mother bent over her child, clutching the little boy to her breast tightly. She said no words, only hugged him and sobbed slightly, sending her message through touch. She placed her hands on his little shoulders and got up, turning away from him.

"T-thank you sir. I don't know how to repay you." She stuttered, speaking to Mason.

"Simple, don't." Mason took off his shirt, twisting the water out of it. "Returning a child to its mother..."

Mason stopped twisting his shirt, letting it fall to the ground. He froze there, his hands still twisting an invisible shirt. His eyes didn't wander either; they stared blankly at the other short boy clutching his mother's legs. Tear marks traced twin lines down the child's cheeks; he wiped his runny nose furiously before returning his clutch to his mother's calf.

_He must be scared to hell; that was his brother..._ Mason thought absently.

"And... waiting brother." He finally finished his sentence. He said no more as he bent to pick up his shirt and climbed the ladder to the walkway. He didn't wait for his friends to catch up, he walked towards the guild.

"Mason! Come back!" The Gravity Mage didn't heed the cries from his friends; he didn't even try and track from which mouth each one came from. He absently put on his soaked, shirt, adjusting it in boredom. Since he made no move to run away from them, they caught up eventually.

"What's your problem?" Synnova grabbed his shoulders and spun him to meet her. Her red eyes flared with annoyance, demanding any onlooker to give Synnova her way.

"Nothing." Mason bit his tongue, forcing out not to say any more as he turned away from her.

"Don't give us that nothing bullshit." Gray grumbled, walking faster and taking a point in front of Mason.

"We are your guild mates." Erza shot at him sternly from his right. "If there is something troubling you, you can tell us." Mason gave no answer.

"Hey!" Erza grabbed his wrist and threw him onto the near park bench. She towered over him, offering no escape. "Is anything getting through that thick skull of yours!? What about that mother made you so depressed? I could tell that is what set it off." Erza managed to sound smug for catching the point when Mason became 'depressed'. Mason's jaw clenched, the muscles poking out on his calm face. He got up slowly, looking Erza in the eyes.

"Has it ever occurred to _your_ thick skull I don't want to talk about it?" He said through clenched teeth, turning away from her and jogging down the street. He did a quick turn down a back alley, and then two more turns at the first available opportunities. He was taking a different route to the guilds, one he could hopefully take in peace.

000

Dante's boot soared uselessly over Mason's ducked head. He threw a fist towards Mason but he drifted to the side and out of its way. Dante sputtered something unintelligible in frustration and did a frantic move that looked like an X-scissor. Mason took a simple step back and they both fell short.

"You're not even fighting." Dante complained.

"I didn't want to fight..."Mason answered in a monotone.

"Then why did you ask me to?' Dante said with sudden annoyance.

"You asked me..." Mason reminded. Realization hit Dante hard and he quickly changed the subject.

"Since when did you get so good at dodging?" Dante grumbled.

"When you didn't think about your attacks and just threw yourself at me." Mason countered with little emotion.

Mason fell back onto a chair at the guild, but Dante remained standing.

"Dude... what's wrong? Don't say nothing, I can tell by the way you talk, even the way you walk; something is up."

"Dante..." Mason gritted his teeth; he thought he had fended off the last of the complaints an hour ago from a combined effort of Synnova and Maryanna. "It doesn't concern you." Dante looked hurt, and Mason realized he had said it almost venomously.

"Well then-"

"I'm sorry, but if you trust me, let it be. It's..." He wanted to say "from my past", hoping that Dante would catch that he wanted to leave it there, but Dante thought he had no memory before Fairy Tail. "It's something I want to forget."

"What am I supposed to do, just let you sit there and mope?" Dante returned. Mason gritted his teeth; Dante had no idea how cruel he was sounding. He wasn't moping, if he knew...

"Yes!" Mason got up so abruptly his chair fell over. He stomped out of the guild, clenching his fists to contain the raging emotions that burned inside his chest. The moment he was outside, he leapt deftly onto its roof. He landed silently and crept along, but stopped himself. If they came looking, they would be able to see him.

He launched himself off of the roof, landing on another a little below. His feet slipped out from under him and he frantically reached out, latching onto the lip of the chimney. A broken shingle with his footprint in it slid uselessly down the roof. He cursed his ignorance; the roof had those clay shingles, slippery. He tentatively got to his feet, deciding to climb onto of the brick chimney. From there, he jumped to a roof with shingles that actually had grip.

000

Mason saw the form hurtling towards his location; he didn't have to guess who it was. There was no point in running away from it either. There isn't a place in Fiore that can hide you from Erza, and he sure wouldn't be able to out-fly her.

"Must you insist on being so difficult?" Erza asked in her usual manner, landing on the flat roof that Mason occupied. "Why did you come here?"

"Armour that flies. That's new." Mason commented, oblivious to Erza's ability to talk. He was leaning against the small building that contained a door to enter

"Listen to me for once!" Erza screamed. She re-quipped a sword just to slam its point into the floor, only to accent her point. "You won't survive a minute on a mission like _this_." Hs indicated his state with disgust. "Since I was present at its beginning, I'm dedicated to seeing its end. What is wrong with you!?"

Mason sighed. What was wrong with him? At any other time he would feel honored that an S-class Mage took time to scour the city for him, but not today.

"Why didn't I look, Erza?" He said suddenly. Erza look taken aback, surprised to get an actual answer.

"What do you mean?" She re-quipped to her usual armour with the gold cross on its breast.

"Why did I look away? It was the last time, I should have looked." Mason continued cryptically. Erza did not answer; she simply lowered herself to the ground a couple feet ahead of him and crossed her legs. Mason saw her preparing to hear an explanation. Erza was the only one he could tell anyway... He rested his chin on his knees and spoke.

"Last year my little brother drowned in the creek that ran, I mean runs, outside our house, just past the tire swing. We were fishing for fun. We both knew that there wasn't any fish in the creek; Jace insisted we do it anyway. We sat there for hours giggling, our rods in the water..." Mason shivered at the memory, which was strange to Erza. It seemed like a peaceful enough memory of his brother.

"I never imagined life without him. His little smiling face, the way his ears lit up red when I bugged him about girls from his class, the way he clenched his tiny fists when he was mad..." Mason clenched his own larger fists tightly. "All gone in a moment of stupid FUCKING IGNORNACE!" Mason slammed his fist down into the floor. He felt pressure behind his eyes as his bottom lip quivered uncontrollably. He wasn't going to cry... no, not in front of Erza. In front of anyone but the unbreakable Erza.

"Oh..." Was all Erza had to say. Guilt flushed over her body, twisting her gut into a knot of remorse. She realized now, it wasn't the mother that set Mason off. It was the boy's brother; Jace had drowned in the creek. Mason was in the exact same situation, but had failed to save the little boy the first time. "I'm so sorry, I didn't realize-"

"It seemed impossible." Mason cut off. "Jace was such a staple to my life; it seemed a dream for the first couple months. God what I wouldn't give to see a glimpse of his smile one more time. I guess punishment for me was non-consent dimensional travel." Mason managed a weak smile.

Erza sat there awkwardly, not knowing what to do. Mason was pouring his heart out to her, what should she do?

"It's alright Mason..." She layed a gauntlet on Mason's shoulder comfortingly. Mason shot out and wrapped both of his arms around Erza tightly. He burst out into thick tears, all restraint thrown into the wind that whipped around them. Erza lightly layed her hands across his back, occasionally giving him a light pat.

Images flashed through Mason's mind at a rapid pace, like a bunch pictures flipping by quickly so that the scene moves like a movie. Pushing his giggling brother on the swings, taking time off school to look after him when he got horribly sick, sitting beside his brother every day on the bus, walking a nervous Jace to the Kindergarten room on his first day, wrestling in front of the fireplace while Mom scolded them, playing in the backyard with the dog-

Mason choked a loud sob as a fresh stream of tears streamed down Erza's armour. He clutched her tightly, as if he would float away if he let go. His face pressed against her armoured breast while her hand rubbed his neck lightly.

"What were you talking about, 'not looking'?" Erza asked softly, breaking the silence. Mason tried to talk, but it came out as a puttered, tear-filled, unintelligible mess. Erza instructed him to take deep breaths and he pulled away, doing so.

"At-t-t Jace's-s funeral... They showed him in the c-co-ffin. I don't know why, b-but I looked away. I was af-fraid of my emotions... I looked away f-from my dead brother because I was afraid to let a tear fall." Mason explained with difficulty.

Erza frowned, confused at Mason's words. Why was he afraid of his emotions?

"Erza...You should leave. I'm gonna cry a river if you don't." Mason mumbled, returning his knees to his chest

"It's alright, I'm your guildmate. I'm here for you." Erza laid a hand on his ankle softly.

"I'm serious... I need time alone." Mason explained bluntly. Erza flushed with embarrassment. She quickly re-quipped and flew off, leaving him to his thoughts without as much as a goodbye.

"Mason..." A soft voice called out.

"I'm going crazy." Mason said softly, but a stronger grin broke onto his face. He looked up to see a very familiar short figure peering at him. "Hey, Jace. Good to see you again."

**The theme for this chapter is definitely Lucy by Skillet.**


	30. Jace Marcotte Pt 2

"Good to see you too, brother." Jace whispered, scuttling nearer to Mason.

"Brother?" Mason's lip trembled. "What happened? Was never brother, I was always bro... Or Mace. You made that up, remember?" Mason tucked his knees up to his chest, his eyes not leaving Jace. "When you were little, you couldn't say my name... So you made it like yours."

"Yeah... I remember." Jace tucked his little hands behind him and scratched his toe against the rooftop.

Mason leapt forward; arm's spread out in a welcoming hug. He passed right through Jace, who made no movement as his brother hit the floor.

"Brother, I'm not really here... You know that." Jace muttered.

"Figment of my thoughts..." Mason muttered, getting onto his feet. "But I want to hug you... I want to feel your skin Jace."

"I miss you too." Jace met Mason's eyes. Jace's huge brown orbs nearly made Mason melt on the spot, but he did fall to his knees in front of his brother. "It get's lonely up there sometimes. It's perfect in every way, trust me, but... it doesn't have you."

"Is there magic up there?" Mason forced a weak joke. "'Cause we have it down here... it's pretty cool actually."

"Really?' Jace asked excitedly. Mason's face brightened at the expression, maybe it was the real Jace! Maybe it was just like the real one!

"Yeah, lots of people have it here." Mason answered simply.

"Where is here?" Jace looked around with confusion. 'I've never seen this place before."

"Jace..." Mason sat down and crossed his legs, tapping his thigh. "Sit down, on my lap. Remember when I used to read you bedtime stories?"

"I'm too old for bedtime stories." Jace answered firmly, lowering himself onto Mason's lap. He did not feel Jace's weight, his warm, or any hint of his presence. Still, the sight brought back happy memories.

"I think you'll like this one." Mason grinned. "Buckle up buddy, because you're about to hear the best story of your life." Jace's eyebrows shot up in doubt that this story could possibly be the best. "It's the best because your older brother is the star of the show," Mason jerked a thumb towards himself and smiled proudly. "And because every single word of it is true."

Mason told his story to Jace.

He began with Fiore, explaining magic and what it is, and also what Fiore was like. Jace chuckled when he heard about the high amount of women, but did not interrupt as he listened eagerly. He told of how he woke up in Magnolia, and then met up with Dante and Fairy Tail. He explained each of his new friends eagerly, and Jace was chuckling for most of this part at the strange nature of Fairy Tail. He told about how his team and Jace simply stared at him when he told him the "totally girly" name. He spoke of his Incubus mission, and how he used his new magic to defeat it. He continued with the wyvern mission, and all of the other missions he had gone on with his team. Jace continued to listen with a grin, amazed at how cool his brother had become. Every time he mentioned Mirajane, Jace would attempt a elbow poke to bug Mason, but it would pass through him and he would look down sadly.

He then spoke of Ragnarok and their evil ways. Jace instantly categorized them as bad guys, and pushed Mason for information on the first clash between the two.

"B-but what happened to Mirajane!?" Jace interrupted, a worried look on his face.

"She's fine; I jumped in to save the people who were attacking her." Mason answered.

"Yeah!" Jace threw his fist into the air happily.

"B-but... there's something else." Mason was worried on how to tell Jace of his first major failure, and how his indestructible older brother had suffered. He decided to tell him everything.

He gasped, a tiny hand veering a tiny mouth in shock. He reached a hand over and failed to wrap his hand around one of Mason's fingers, attempting to pull it up to see. Mason held up both hands for him, showing him the ugly scars.

"B-but you have magic! You can get rid of those, right?" Jace asked.

"Why would I want to get rid of them?" Mason smiled, showing his own eyes the scars. "These scars are medals, Jace. Medals of courage, and bravery. They are honoring a point in my life where it would have been much easier to give in, but I stayed true to my friends. I wear these scars proudly, showing people that I'm dedicated to my friends."

Jace made a soft humming sound, and Mason looked over his arms aimlessly.

"See that?' He pointed to a pale white scar that used to be a shallow cut. "That's when I tried to take away my monkey's food."

"YOU HAVE A MONKEY AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME!?" Jace exclaimed. Mason chuckled lightly, but continued on his scar stories.

"That one of my elbow is when I was fighting a dragon with Erza. He knocked me out of the air with his wing. See this here? Just below my neck? That's from when I was fighting Sebastian; he threw me into a cliff. The one on my ankle is when a demon-"

"Brother?" Jace asked.

"Yes?" Mason answered eagerly.

"You're weird." Jace decided with a smile.

"Someday, you would have understood." Mason said sadly. One day Jace would have been a man, and Jace and he could have exchanged their own battle scar stories.

He continued his story, speaking of his male model career and mermaid make-out sessions. (Yes Jace, There are those here... yes I made out with one, tell that to all your friends at school!) He then dropped his tone, speaking sadly of his fight with Dante and how he had left his friends.

"But it was to get stronger, to help them better!" He persisted.

"I guess it was, Jace." Mason muttered, wrapping his scars over each other.

Finally, Mason concluded his tale with the second battle against Ragnarok, and how he had defeated the man who inflicted the scars that marked him.

After the last word had been uttered, Jace simply crossed his legs, laid his hands on his knees, and smiled broadly.

"What are you grinning about?" Mason prodded jokingly.

"You were right after all." Jace beamed. "My brother's story is the best story I've ever heard."

"Oh c'mon," Mason looked away modestly. "You used to read all those superhero comics, those guys are pretty awesome. Who's your favorite superhero? Batman? Spider-"

"You." Jace said firmly.

"Huh?" Mason looked at him with asymmetrical eyebrows.

"You're my favorite superhero!" Jace announced. "When I was growing up, I looked up to you more than any of my comic books!"

"Jace..." Mason bent his head down, and a sniffling sound could be heard. "Darnit, you've got me crying Jace."

"Mason, you remember our promise?" Jace looked down and tried to catch his brother's face.

"Refresh my memory..." Mason muttered.

"If we ever became superheros, we wouldn't cry." Jace answered.

"If I ever do, I'll keep that in mind." Mason wiped his nose with his wrist, keeping his gaze low.

"But you _are_ a superhero brother!" Jace insisted. "You can't cry, you're a superhero!"

"Jace..." Mason chuckled at his brother's antics. "I'm not quite a superhero. Not quite."

"All the stuff you've done Mason! You're a superhero if I've ever seen one." Jace assured. "You protect your friends and those who can't protect themselves and you're more powerful than the Hulk! You can't cry; that's not a superhero's job! You promised, so you can't cry anymore! You need to help people who are crying, you can't cry yourself."

"Alright..." Mason said quietly, nodding. "I won't cry anymore Jace. I promise you I won't cry."

"You have power Mason; you need to use it wisely. Don't let people abuse their power on people who don't have it."

"I won't!" Mason said louder. "I won't let them Jace!"

"Then, I think you're officially a superhero." Jace said proudly. Mason beamed, but his smile quickly dipped down back to sorrow.

"Jace, please stay." Mason whispered. His eye's dried long ago, and now he only spoke desperately while dry-sobbing. "You're my only family here, stay. Stay, your birthday's coming up. Please Jace... Let's celebrate your birthday together."

"You know I can't brother..." Jace muttered.

"Sorry..." Mason answered sheepishly. "I just miss you."

"Keep me in here." Jace tapped Mason's left breast. "Don't be sad about me; know I'm in a good place brother!"

"I just wish I had family here." Mason smiled sadly. "If only-"

"You do!" Jace shot, surprising Mason. "Natsu and Erza and Dante and all your friends chased after you when you were captured! When you went missing they looked all over town for you! When you came back they forgave you and welcomed you back! They fought beside you and defended you from people hat wanted to hurt you. If that isn't family, I don't know what is.

"Wow," Mason whistled a long, slow note. "You've really grown up while you've been upstairs Jace."

"Don't fight for me brother," Jace continued. "Fight for your family. Don't forget about em, keep me in your heart, but don't let me hold you back. Make peace with it brother..."

"I will." Mason grinned, standing up. "I'll fight for m new family, thanks for the wake-up call!"

"Now..." Mason took about ten steps forward before turning, a glowing green fist raised. "Who wants to see some magic?"

"I really want to..." Jace looked up to the clouds. "But I have to go, any minute now."

"I wish you could stay!" Mason cried, hurrying over to his brother.

"Me too brother." Jace smiled his bright little smile. "But I don't belong here anymore, I have to go back."

Silently, Mason bent down and hugged his brother. As usual, he was only an apparition of the real thing.

Suddenly, he shifted. With a shudder that seemed a breath of life, Jace became solid for a split second. His warmth, his scent, his unwashed hair, everything came back to Mason in a flood over the course of half a second. His heart leapt with joy and amazing joy brightened his being.

And then it was gone.

Mason got up, wiped his nose, and bent his head; but he did not cry.

000

"Mason," Maryanna met him at the guild doors. "Your back, what happened, Erza hasn't said a peep."

"If you can't get it out of her, no one can!" Mason chuckled, pushing past her.

"Mason!" Synnova called, jogging up. She was followed by Dante.

"Sit tight." Mason waved them off. "I've made a decision."

"What kind of decision?" Maryanna pressed eagerly, But Mason ignored her and made his way to the bar.

"Mason!" Mirajane caught his eye and smiled brightly. "Your back!"

"Glad to see you too Mira." Mason returned the smile before hopping up on the bar. "Just gonna say something quick here-"

"EVERYONE!" Mira snapped her face growing dark. Everyone instantly shut up and their attention snapped to Mason. "Mason has something to say." She said, but with a bright tone and a smile.

"Thank Mira... I think." Mason added in a mutter. "My friends..." Mason took a deep breath and forced himself to keep going."

"I've lied to you. I've been lying since I first came to Fairy Tail. You see, I'm not form Fiore, or even this world. I was born in another dimension, and was transported here without memory of how I got there."

Fairy Tail instantly roared to life in a variety of opinions, but Mirajane quickly snapped several words that quieted them down.

"I kept the secret out of fear. Fear that I wouldn't be accepted, or fear that I would attract too much attention in what was a new place."

"But now..." His eyes drifted to Mirajane, who smiled brightly and motioned for him to continue. "Now I know that I have a family here who will always accept me."

"I-"Mason tried to continue.

"Mason," Mirajane shook his ankle lightly. "It's alright. You don't need to explain yourself more. We know your family, that's why..." She caught where she was going and flattered, looking away."

"I did it in the sole hope that you would one day feel the need to do the same to me." Mason grinned, hopping down from his perch. "As family."

**This chapter is dedicated to my most trusted FF friend ever, EpicEric17. You've helped me with so much man, I don't know how else to thank you. I'm so sorry for your loss, and I'm there for you like you're there for me. You've done so much and contributed loads to each of my stories and I don't think I thank you enough. So thanks man. If anyone else is reading this, read his stories right now, if anyone deserves reviews, it's him.**


	31. Did Someone Say Crack?

**I'm feeling random, so this chapter will be crazy, funny and random. I thought that the guild needed a little humor after all the recent events.**

**BRING ON THE CRACK!**

"C'mon Mason!" Synnova was especially cheery today, it was strange to Mason but he loved it. He allowed her to drag him over to a small crowd of people inside the guild.

"Three!" Mirajane announced, dropping two shots in front of Natsu and Erza.

"Yur gone down 'Rza!" Natsu slurred, clinking her glass before downing the alcohol.

"I wonder who can hold their alcohol better." Synnova thought out loud.

"S'nova?" Erza squinted at Mason and Synnova. "Who's dat? You got a berfriend a'ready?" Synnova giggled, but Mason answered first.

"Erza." Mason snapped his fingers, gaining her attention. "It's Mason."

"Mason?" She turned her full body at him and stared at him for a long time. "'Yer not Mason, you've got too nice of hair ta' be Mason." She said before reaching for another shot. Mason sat there confused while everyone burst out laughing.

"I don't know to be thankful or hurt..." Mason muttered.

"No 'yur drunk!" Natsu yelled at Mason, rising out of his chair.

"Sidown ash-bruth." Erza pointed at him drunkenly.

"It's not my fault Dante has monkey-breath!" Natsu in turn pointed accusingly at Dante.

"You mean Keith." Dante corrected firmly, Toby was on his shoulder and playing with his ear.

"Toby!" Maryanna corrected again.

"Just drink!" Cana interrupted them all firmly. Natsu and Erza gulped and eagerly drank their next shot.

Erza gulped audibly before speaking.

"I feel bad, 'wur hoggin' the booze!" Erza snapped her fingers and Mirajane came in with a tray full of shots. Mason took two and passed one to Synnova with a smile. She took it and clinked glasses with him before eagerly chugging it back.

000

"Are you kiddun' me?" Synnova slurred.

"I'm jus sayin', boobs would be cool ta have. Their jus like floppy things on your chest." Mason defended. He frantically patted his own chest to look for a pair of breasts.

"phfft, they suck!" Synnova put her combat boots on the table and put back another shot. "Yur' in a battle an thur like floppin' 'verywhere." She clutched at her own D sized breasts and shook tehm around to demonstrate.

"But they're so cool!" Mason insisted.

"EVERYONE!" Lisanna slammed her hands down on Unicorns Are Mystical's table. "Do you like unicorns?"

"YES!" Toby got up and said. Everyone started at the monkey in disbelief.

"I've had enough." Dante decided, pouring out the last of his drink. Suddenly, the bottle fell out of his hand. He reached to pick it up, but he no longer had opposable thumbs, only hooves.

Dante neighed furiously, rearing on his hind legs. His horn glinted in the light. His hide was sleek black, his mane being colored flame red as well as his horn. He looked very antagonistic overall.

_FUCK YEAH UNICORN!_ Dante thought at the top of his lungs, finding his vocal chords gone.

_ME TOO!_ Mason reared and slammed his hooves on the table. He was stark white. His mane, tail and horn were all a beautiful hot pink.

_YOU'RE GIRLY_ Dante pointed out; making a weird noise that must have been a horse laugh.

_YOU WANNA GO?_ Mason swung his head, catching Dante's red horn on his pink one.

"What have you done!?" Maryanna shook Lisanna by the front of her shirt, while the white-haired girl couldn't hold in her case of the giggles.

"HORSES!" Mirajane grabbed Mason around the neck and snuggled him affectionately. If horses could look smug, Mason would have looked very smug. "Mason I can't believe you're a horse THIS IS SO COOL!"

"Mason!" Natsu burst into the scene. "D-dude you and Mir-jane need to get murried so me and you and me can be brudder-in-laws!"

"Natsu... we aren't related." Mirajane said slowly, letting him down easy.

"WHAT!?" Natsu fell to his knees, a look of utter confusion on his face. "B-but everyone's the same gender in the dark!"

"What?" Lisanna shot her head towards him.

"Nothing." He said quickly, pressing his fingertips together.

"Bow before your Queen!" Mirajane yelled. Mason reared, Mirajane on his back. She brandished a sword that nobody saw her obtain, but she was waving it around like a madman.

"You wanna go!?" Elfman called from Dante's back, waving another sword.

"It's so on! Charge!" Mirajane ordered

"Neigh!" Mason replied eagerly, charging towards Dante. When he reached him, they both went on their hinds legs and flailed their sharp hooves at each other. Mason caught Dante with a hoof-right hook, snorting with satisfaction. Mira swung her sword wildly from Mason's back, clashing with Elfman.

"Knave!" Elfman mispronounced. "You belong in a K-mart!" He sneered, Mirajane was taken aback.

"I am taken aback! Now take back that comment!" She ordered.

"Never!" Elfman answered, and they fought with swords while Dante sparred with Mason, using their horns

"Neigh!" Mason sneered, stabbing at Dante.

"Neigh, neigh!" Dante countered, parrying the blow. Mason backed away, looking offended. There was a large flash and Mirajane was riding piggy-back on Mason. The spell had worn off.

"Oh... hey Mirajane." Mason blushed heavily, bending over to set her down.

"Did I say stop? No! Charge!" She ordered. Mason thundered towards Dante, who was having alot of trouble carrying Elfman piggy-back. Right when they were about to hit, Mason slipped beside Dante and tripped him easily, sending him tumbling.

"Yeah!" Mira exclaimed, raising her fist in the air.

"Yeah!" Mason responded, throwing both hands in the air.

_Thump_

"Oh..." Mason looked at Mira, who he had dropped. "Sorry."

"What the heck! You dropped me on my boobs!" Mira exclaimed, getting up.

"Would that hurt?" Mason turned to Lucy. She looked at him and nodded her head slowly. "Shit."

"Ow!" Mason covered his head which was being beaten by a chair held by Mira. "I'm sorry, okay! But in fairness, it's hard _not_ to drop you on your boobs. They aren't exactly a small target."

_CRASH!_

Elfman sent Mason into the wall of the guild. Mason hobbled out, knees wobbly.

"Totally worth it." He commented with a smile, revealing chipped teeth.

"You idiot!" Happy swung in front of Mason.

"FELINE-DEVIL!" Mason exclaimed, grabbing it by the tail and smashing it against the wall and floor. Happy grabbed his hand and sunk his teeth into his index finger. "OW!"

"Dante, I luved yur book." Erza admitted, slamming down a menu from the cake shop downtown. "It like... spoke to me. I liked the cheescake chapter best. Will you sign my copy?"

"Erza..." Dante picked up the menu and squinted at it. "Wrong Dante, you're looking for Alighieri. And this isn't-"

"SIGN MY COPY YOU SNART!" Erza demanded, requipped a dagger into her hand.

"Kay! Gimme that!" Dante took the menu and a sharpie. He flipped to the front page and signed in capital letters, 'WAFFLE.'\

"Mason, are you really not my brother in law?' Natsu asked with a depressed tone.

"I dun think so." Mason slurred, slowly turning a spit over a fire. On the spit was a strangely cat-shaped chunk of meat.

"Hay, where's Happy?" Natsu asked, looking around.

"Of course I'm Happy, why wouldn't I be?' Mason answered.

"NO!" Natsu fell to his knees, spotting the spit. "YOU'RE EATING HIM!"

"What's wrong Natsu?" Happy asked, flying over to his friend.

"SHUT UP HAPPY! I'M GREAVING YOUR DEATH!" Natsu screamed before returning to his knees and crying.

"Okay..." Happy said, being the only one who hadn't swallowed any alcohol yet.

"Why'd they call 'ut in-law?" Mason pondered; his mind still several minutes in the past. "Does it only work fur lawyers?"

"Eh, you shut up!" Dante mumbled, pointing a finger accusingly at Mason. "My bruther's a lawyer!"

"You don't gots a bruther you frigin 'diot." Mason countered.

"Ahh yeah..." Dante scratched his head in confusion before stumbling away.

"Why isn't this table broken!?" Natsu screamed, desperately trying to karate-chop it in half.

"THIS TABLE IS MY PAPER BOY!" Dante said, jump and landing on it spread-eagle, eager to defend it.

"Why isn't this card mage in a chokehold!?" Natsu demanded, hopping on top of Dante.

"IS THIS A DOGGY PILE!?" Lisanna yelled, hopping on Natsu and lying on his body.

"Lisanna... It isn't a good idea for girls to be in a doggy pile." Dante said from the bottom of the pile.

"WHY?" Lisanna inquired.

"Your boobs feel pretty good on my back." Natsu shot in.

"And that." Dante said after Lisanna slapped Natsu.

"After what?" Lisanna inquired.

"DOGGY PILES! THE MANLIEST OF ACTIVITIES!" Elfman screamed, leaping into the air and soaring through the air for the pile of Mages. The three frantically scrambled off the table, leaving his target zone empty.

"'as 'nyone seen Gray?" Lucy slurred, walking beside the table.

"LUCY NO!" Half the guild yelled. Before the blonde could say "huh?" Elfman landed on her, flattening her into a Lucy pancake on the wood floor.

"Oh shit. That probably broke three hundred bones." Gray decided.

"No you idiot! There's only fifty-five bones in your body!" Natsu shot back.

"No Way!"

"Yeah way!

Simultaneously, both of them held their limbs in front of them and began to slowly count.

"What are bones again?' Dante scratched his chin in thought. He suddenly lit up with realization and bowed his head, staring between his legs.

"Not that bone you idiot!" Maryanna whacked him on the back of the head.

"HA!" Natsu yelled triumphantly. "I finished counting, I have 6, 573 bones in my body! You're wrong!"

"That means you're wrong too!" Gray countered. Natsu looked straight ahead stupidly.

"Is it possible for both of us to be wrong?" Natsu asked.

"I dunno." Gray sat down, scratched his chin,, and also pondered the thought.

"If were bother wrong, then who's right?" Natsu made hand gestures that were in no way, shape or form relevant to his words.

"Then who IS right?" Gray repeated.

"Luckily, I have a bar graph created for this exact situation." Natsu wheeled out a large blackboard and showed its contents, which consisted of sketches of a tiger fighting a crocodile, a rough sketch of Natsu kicking a poorly drawn Gajeel in the butt, a stickman Lucy in a coconut bikini, several upside down cat paw print, and an assortment of letters and symbols that varied in language and overall relevance. Not to mention one of the top corners was on fire.

"I see... I see..." Gray stared at the blackboard. "Note how the paw prints went up six and a half in year twenty-five."

"Or how by next quarter, the tiger will begin to beat the crocodile." Natsu brought out a wooden pointer stick and slammed it against the tiger.

"This is simply groundbreaking." Gray decided.

"How about we do this business idea together?" Natsu offered, using his vast experience in the business world to offer a reasonable deal. "I'll give you royalties 2% of the time, and you can give me fifty bucks for every product I sell."

"What are we selling again?" Gray looked around the room for their product.

"Fireproof blackboards!" Natsu slapped a hand on it, lighting it on fire in another place. "Duh!"


	32. Grace and Maddy Pt 1

_**This chapter will be leaning towards M rated. You've been warned, so if I get a hate PM about it I swear I'll find a way to stick it up your ass through the internet.**_

"Dante! Supper's ready!" Mason announced, hearing the door open.

"You're the best!" Dante commented, delighted by the thought of food, and beaming at not having to make it. He walked in to see the small table decorated with place mats he didn't know he owned, lit candles, and plates and cutlery set it in the proper etiquette. Mason was bending over something on the counter, an apron string tied around his back.

"I hope you invited Mirajane over, because this sure looks like a date." Dante retorted, taking his place.

"Yeah, you're welcome for cooking a fancy meal." Mason explained. And shut up, I made something different so I thought I'd make it look fancy." He turned around and carried a large pot over to the table.

"For appetizers," Mason lifted a metal lid off of a plate, revealing the food. "Stuffed mushrooms. The main course," He continued the actions on another plate and pot. "Sirloin steak and mashed potatoes. And for desert," he pointed to the kitchen. "There's strawberry pie in the fridge."

"I take it back, this is awesome! Although I'm now doubting your sexuality because of your cooking skill." Dante exclaimed, grabbing one of the two steaks, a pile of mashed potatoes and three stuffed mushrooms.

"God, just shut up and just eat." Mason smiled as he shook his head. For a long time, all you could hear was the eager chewing from Dante, the scraping of cutlery on plates, and the chattering of Toby, who was waiting for fancy food to land in his bowl on the counter.

"Did you end up house training him?" Mason asked, eyeing the monkey.

"Yerp." Dante answered, his mouth full. "Toby shit on yur bed onse but he'z trained now."

"WHAT!?" Mason screamed.

"'m kerdding." Dante gulped loudly. "Toby is house trained now, don't worry."

As if acknowledging his name, Toby Keith hopped onto Mason's head and reached his tiny arms towards the steak on his plate.

"No Toby," Mason chuckled, pushing away the furry limb. "That's human food. Your bowl is by the counter."

If squirrel monkeys could look disappointed, Toby looked disappointed as he hopped down and trudged over to his bowl filled with monkey food.

"Um... Dante?" Mason looked at the neighboring bowl. "What's in Toby's water bowl?"

"Iced tea." He answered simply.

"Oh okay. It's just iced tea. YOU GAVE MY ICED TEA TO A MONKEY YOU IDIOT!" Mason reached over the table and grabbed Dante by the throat, shaking him back and forth. "And why would you give a monkey iced tea?!"

He hoped off the table and grabbed the bowl, dumping it into a cup before filling it with water.

"Don't touch my iced tea." Mason growled before returning to the table.

"Alright, alright." Dante held up his hands in innocence before eagerly returning to his food.

"Oh, by the way. I found something cool at the market." Dante remembered.

"Hm?" Mason hummed; his mouth filled with food.

"It's this random necklace." He pulled it out of a pocket. It was on a silver chain, a pink female symbol hung on it. "Some old guy rambled about how it's magical, but it isn't. I checked."

"Why would you buy that?' Mason asked, his eyebrow tips squishing together in thought. _God Dante is stupid sometimes_.

"It is gonna be a gift for the next hot girl I see, duh." Dante explained, shoving it back in his pocket.

000

They all sat at the guild. Team Unicorns Are Mystical, plus its newest member Synnova sat at a wooden table. Synnova was eating a rack of ribs that could have very well belonged to a whale, Maryanna was texting and Dante and Mason were arguing.

"No way. Bacon is better than steak." Mason answered firmly. "It's hard to cook steak correctly; most people would screw it up. Anyone can make bacon delicious."

"But bacon is such small portions! And you can cook steak to different people's specifics, like-" Dante answered, Toby Keith playing with his hair from on top of his head.

"Dante!" Maryanna cut in, smiling. "Why do you have a girl necklace in your pocket?"

Dante flushed profusely, seeing the pendant hanging out of his pocket.

"It is gonna be a trick to get girls." He explained blatantly, pulling it out.

"Actually," Mason snatched it out of his hands, pulling it over his neck. "I think it looks rather good on me. How about you, Gray?" He handed the necklace to the passing mage, not noticing the tingling feeling in his fingertips.

"Oh, it's fabulous." Gray said, taking on a mock homosexual tone and slipping it on. With a solid _thud_, both Mason and Gray hit the floor together.

000

"_Ow_." Mason commented, his voice cracking. He sat up and rubbed his head. He looked around, seeing Dante staring at him in awe from his chair.

"What? Do I have a bruise on my head or something?" Mason asked, desperately feeling around his forehead for something, anything. His throat felt... strange. Lighter. He spoke in a different tone than usual. After much coughing and clearing of the throat, the effect remained.

"No..." Dante answered slowly.

"OH... MY... GOD!" A familiar voice exclaimed, Mirajane wrapped Mason in a hug. "You're so cute! You're like a little kitten I just want to snuggle you and-"

"What's wrong with you?" Mason demanded, his voice still hitting a high note. He stood up and pushed her off of him.

He turned around slowly, looking for Gray who had been beside him. His eye's landed on a slim, tan, raven-haired girl.

"Ahh!" Mason exclaimed, pulling his hands to his chest.

"Ahh!" Gray repeated, doing the same thing. They both got nosebleeds at the same time and hit the floor.

"You're a girl!" Mason exclaimed, sitting up quickly.

"Bullshit, _you're_ a girl!" Gray countered.

Mason stood up slowly, finding his friend beside him.

"Dante... why are you so tall..." Mason said slowly, craning his neck in awe.

"I didn't grow, you shrunk... and other things." He answered.

"WAAAHH! I DON"T WANNA BE SHORT!" Mason wined, stamping his feet on the ground.

"Come with me!" Mirajane slung him over her shoulder and carried him away.

"Let me down Mira!" He exclaimed, beating his fists lightly against her back, although he was surprised she lifted him so easily. He looked seeing Mirajane approaching the girl's bathroom.

"WHY ARE YOU TAKING ME THERE!? MIRA DON'T TORTURE ME!" He wiggled around with all his might, but she held him firmly. As they entered the bathroom.

"Wow..." Mason looked around, inspecting the room. "It's really clean in here." He sniffed loudly. "And it smells like lavender. Wow."

She plopped him down in front of the mirror. Make that _her_.

**(Before you read the next part, go to my profile right now and click on Mason's new appearance. TRUST ME, it really helps)**

**Alright, I'm just gonna say it. I'm a guy; I'm not going to pretend to know about girl's everyday lives. Please understand, I'm out of my league here. You can't expect me to know how a bra feels and stuff XD. If I got something wrong, I'd really appreciate a PM. I'm a pretty cool guy, or at least I think I am, and I hope we can discuss it un-awkwardly XD.**

"I"M A GIRL!" Mason exclaimed, wrapping her hands around her face, seeing if the mirror would copy the movements, which it did.

"And a cute one!" Mira smiled, holding her hands together by her face.

"AND I'M SHORT!" Mason exclaimed, trying to stand to her full height, now a pitiful five feet and three inches compared to her old six feet.

"You're not short! You are average for a girl, don't worry!" Mira comforted.

"OF COURSE I'M GONNA WORRY I'VE SWITCHED GENDERS DAMMIT!" Mason screamed, amazed at how high her voice could go now. She stopped, cleared her throat, and then screamed at the top of her lungs.

Most of the mirrors in the bathroom and several porcelain toilets shattered instantly. Mason stopped the screech and smiled smugly, only being able to reach the "me" in "Do ra me" chant previously.

Mason inspected the one remaining mirror carefully. A girl looked back at him, she was still getting used to that, with amber eyes. Her skin was a little tanner now, and she had _long_ hair that ran down her back.

"I can see my hair!" Mason exclaimed, grabbing the long ponytail and holding it in front of her eyes. "It's so long!" She fingered her hair furiously, amazed at how he could wrap it around his fingers

"And shiny..." Mira said running a slow hand through it.

"DON'T TOUCH MY HAIR!" Mason snapped before looking back at the mirror. "Only _I_ get to touch my hair."

She still wore the white t-shirt from this morning, but now it was long and baggy due to her shrinking. For some reason her pants had changed, from baggy jeans to tight ones that hugged her legs.

"Help me Mira! My jeans are trying to cut off circulation!" Mason exclaimed, trying to take the tight pants off.

"No!" Mira scolded, slapping Mason's wrists. "Girls aren't allowed to strip in public."

"BUT MY PANTS ARE STOPPING BLOOD FLOW!" Mason exclaimed, rocking back and forth on her back as she tugged on the pant legs.

"And," Mason got up, looking in the mirror. "I can't be a girl; this is some kind of joke."

"Your chest disagrees." Mira smiled, stepping behind her and putting her hands under Mason's boobs, making the large mounds bounce with several carefully timed giggles.

"MIRA STOP FONDLING ME!" She screamed, slapping her hands away.

"Wait a minute, are you still a guy between the ears? Like do you think like your old self?" Mirajane asked. Mason turned to Mira and studied her carefully. Her slim figure, her jiggling breasts, her long, toned legs, her-

Mason fell to the floor, a nosebleed pouring down her nose. "Still a guy there..." She muttered.

"Here." Mira helped her up. Mason looked in the mirror again, only seeing her waist up. She placed a tentative hand over the mounds she felt weigh on her chest. She squeezed them once, and was amazed to be able to feel her hands on her boobs. It was like having a tail, or extra limbs. Except they were real, and definitely there.

Mason placed a hand under them like Mira had and bounced each one cautiously, amazed at the bouncing and jiggling feeling that rippled through her mounds with each movement.

"Mira!" she exclaimed, looking at the white-haired girl. "I have boobs!"

"And big ones at that." Mira winked at her. Mason blushed and crossed her arms over her chest turning away.

"I gotta go..." Mason muttered, going inside a bathroom stall. After about six seconds Mason ran out screaming.

"Mason... did you try to pee standing up?" Mira asked, one eyebrow up higher than the other.

"N-no!" Mason blushed heavily, her knees wobbly as she crossed them slowly.

"You did so!" Mira burst out laughing. "That's so funny!"

"Being a girl sucks!" Mason whined, plopping herself on the floor. Her bottom lip stuck out, pouting.

"Maybe we should be outside; they'll be wondering what were doing in here." Mira suggested.

"I'm still wondering what _you're_ doing here." Mason said, squinting at the giggling Mira. She got up and followed Mira out and to her table, where she plopped down.

"Mason... what the fuck." Was all that the brilliant Dante had to contribute.

"Yeah Dante, what the fuck!" Mason screamed, still amazed at how high her voice was. "You said that thing wasn't magical!"

"I checked, it wasn't! It had to be some kind of lost magic." He said in his defense. Mason tackled him and wrapped her slim hands around his throat.

"HOW DO I CHANGE BACK!?" She demanded, throttling him.

"I don't know!" Dante answered, nearly choking. Dante stopped resisting suddenly and his eyes went down slightly, eyeing the large, braless mounds hanging in front of his face.

"Dante, are you looking at my chest!?" Mason demanded.

"Er-no! I wasn't!" Dante sputtered, meeting her eyes now.

"YOU WERE YOU PERVERT!" Mason snapped, slapping him back and forth rapidly. Her breasts flopped back and forth and hit her in the face several times with all the movement.

"Mason," Maryanna pulled her up by the shoulders. "Calm down. Now you know how we feel."

"Where's Gray?!" Mason asked, shooting up. Her eye's found Team Natsu's usual table and her ran over.

"GRAY!" She exclaimed, slamming her hands on the table.

"Oh hey Mason, what's up?" She-Gray asked with mock casualness.

"Oh nothing, my jeans are just strangling my legs like an anaconda, how about you?" Mason answered.

"OH MY GOD!" Erza exclaimed, slamming her palms on the table. "Mason! You're so cute!"

"_She _is!" Lucy exclaimed. She stares with hearts replacing her pupils, the way someone might look at a puppy.

"I've just got two grown women using me as their personal Barbie." Gray grumbled.

"Try having Mira." Mason said, shivering. "Erm, Gray... what are we going to do?"

"I-I don't know." Gray looked down.

"FIRST THINGS FIRST!" Erza bellowed. "I think you two need new names. How about Grace and Maddy?"

"NO!" Mason and Gray said at the same time.

"YES!" The other three yelled.

"You guys are mean." Gray pouted, stripping off her shirt.

"GRAY!" Lucy explained, pointing to the naked breasts, one of which was decorated with a guild mark.

"AHHH!" Gray exclaimed, throwing her arms over her nipples in a feeble attempt to hide herself.

"Mason!" Mira screamed, grabbing Mason by the collar. "Come with me!"

"I don't want to!" She exclaimed, not because of the naked woman in front of him. She dug in her heels, flipped around and clawed her nails into the floor, leaving long claw marks as she resisted.

"YOU DON'T HAVE A CHOICE!" Mirajane bellowed, making Mason shy away.

000

"Mira... what am I going to do?" Mason asked moments after she threw him into her apartment.

"Oh, stop pouting. Being a girl isn't that bad." Mira said, walking over to her closet in the corner.

"It's... weird." Mason shivered at the overall sensation of the gender.

"Are you a... full girl? Like," Mira coughed, pointing between Mason's legs. "Down there?"

"T-they're gone." Mason answered, blushing heavily.

"It's official!" Mirajane cheered. "First things first, you need clothes." She returned to her closet and shuffled though it.

"I need to know how big you are." Mira said, zipping over to Mason.

"What do you mean how big- AHH!" Mason screeched as Mira furiously fondled her boobs. She let out a shaky breath as Mirajane played with them, the feeling making her shiver with unease.

'Yeah, uh-huh. I think-" Mira said, kneading one particularly hard.

"MIRA LET GO!" Mason screamed, making her shy away. Mason crossed her arms over her boobs, the lingering feeling of Mira's hands still present. They still felt... strange. Just having the weight there, it was such a strange feeling. Whenever she moved they jiggled around, and she couldn't lie on her stomach anymore.

"Oh you poor sport. Anyway, you should be the same size as me." She said, going back into her closet.

"God you girls-"Mason muttered.

"_We_ girls." Mira corrected with a giggle.

"Whatever, you're just... weird. I swear-"Mason was cut off when a white fabric hit her in the face, dangling over her head. "What's this?" She grabbed it and held it at arm's length.

"Ahh!" She threw the lace bra across the room. "Don't throw your bra at me!"

"You need it silly!" Mira giggled, walking over to the bra and giving it to Mason. "Here, put it on."

Mason looked down at her shirt, eyeing the two large bulges; each tipped with something poking through the fabric.

"Fine." Mason said flatly, getting up and grabbing the hem of her shirt. She looked at Mira, who was watching casually. "Turn around!"

"Why?" Mirajane asked in true innocence.

"I don't want you to see me naked!" Mason exclaimed. _At least not now_. A rather perverted side of Mason thought.

"Aright, aright... prude." Mirajane answered, turning around.

Mason reluctantly pulled her white shirt over her head, revealing her jiggling mounds. Mason eyed the foreign body part intensely. They were smooth and round, each tipped with a rosy nipple; Mason had to stop herself from holding them. Mason just couldn't get over the feeling. After 16 years he had used the same body, and such a change was unfathomable to him. Were there muscles in boobs? Could he move them? What the hell was their purpose?

Mason completely guessed on the proper usage of bras, carefully capturing each boob in the cups. She wiggled her arms through the straps and adjusted the ones over her shoulders, slipping them into place. Guessing on what to do next; she took the strap ends and fumbled with them behind her back.

"Stupid... hooks." Mason grunted, rubbing the two pieces together. She saw no chance for successfully connecting them and sighed in defeat.

"Um... Mira? Could you... help me out?" Mason asked, blushing. Mira eagerly turned around and burst out laughing at her situation.

"Shut up." She hissed quietly through clenched teeth. Luckily, Mason felt hands fiddle with her strap momentarily before she let go, it pulled at her back like elastic.

"God this feels weird." Mason muttered, not taking the gender switch well, and she had only dealt with "North" so far. The bra held up her boobs, which was good, but it felt tight and constricted. It felt like someone was constantly holding her new phenomenons. "How do you girls wear this 24/7?"

"We manage." Mira giggled.

"Stop enjoying my struggle." Mason said, pulling her white shirt over her head.

"See? Isn't that much better?" Mira said, indicating her chest. Mason looked down, seeing that the bulges were now more defined and the points had disappeared.

"A little." Mason said reluctantly. "Um, thanks."

"No problem! Now COME WITH ME!" Mira said, grabbing her and dragging her into the bathroom.

"Okay first of all you need to wash your face every day!" Mira said, shoving a washcloth into her hand.

"Oh? Um, okay."

"And make sure your nose isn't shiny!" Mira said, popping out on the other side of Mason, making her jump.

"I won't!"

"Here," Mira placed a feminine-looking razor in Mason's hand. 'You'll need to shave... everywhere."

"Ewwww." Mason shivered at the thought.

"Here are your creams, your lotion, your mascara, your eyeliner, your lipliner, concealer, eye shadow, blush, foundation, powder, blender, lipstick, lip gloss, eye dust, and lip plumper." Mirajane piled all of the make-up onto Mason's weak arms.

"M-Mira..." Mason stumbled, struggling under all of the weight. "Do I need all this?"

"Of course you do!" She answered, as if she had asked if you need oxygen to survive. "Girls do this every day!"

"Um, how do I use it all?" Mason asked. Mirajane snapped her head towards her, a slow grin spreading on her face as her flailing hair fell back down.

_Shit._

Mirajane moved in a flash of white and pink, zipping around her. Mason stayed as still as she could as Mirajane decorated her face with about ten pounds of makeup. She moved with practiced grace, her fingers dancing around her face the way a master musician played their instrument. Mason stayed still as her lips were painted red, her skin was pampered with an array of creams, lotions, powders, and other makeup, her eyebrows painfully plucked, her eye's shadowed, after that Mason lost track. She simply imitated a mannequin, losing track of her surroundings.

"I'm... done." Mirajane gasped, stepping backwards. She still held what looked like a pencil and a thin paintbrush in her hands. "Take a look at yourself."

Mason slowly turned around, catching her own eye in the mirror.

"What did you do?"Mason asked, confused.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I WORKED ON YOU FOR AN HOUR YOU UNGRATEFUL DUAGHTER OF A-" Mirajane screamed, her teeth growing in size and her eyes flaming.

"Oh never mind, I think I see it now." Mason cut her off. Her lips were a dull red, her skin was more toned and the usual darkness under her eyes was gone, her eyelashes were thick and long, and her eye sockets were shaded silver. "Um, thanks."

"Alright, now back to the room." Mirajane grabbed her in her usual manner and drug her to her bedroom. She threw Mason on the bed, sitting lightly on the edge.  
"If you're going to be a girl, I'm going to have to teach you a few things."

Mason's eyes widened in horror, realizing what she meant.

"No!" She screamed, bolting for the doorway. She opened it and took one step outside, but Mira grabbed her feet.

"Get back inside! This is important!" She yelled. Mason grabbed the doorframe with both hands and resisted, her body completely suspended in the air.

"NO! I already got one bird's and the bee's lesson and it was way too awkward!" Mason defended.

"It's not that!" _Yet_ She thought.

"Oh." Mason let go, getting up. "Then what is it about?"

"Bras, duh." Mira answered.

"NO I'M LEAVING!" Mason screeched, and they returned to their struggle.


	33. I Post Too Many Updates

A Second Update

...Sorry

I will probably not update any of my stories in the month of November due to NANOWRIMO! And I'm gonna win it in my first year!

-Ignatuis Julio Ricardo Montoya De la Rosa Ramirez Argetlam


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